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By Will Sturgeon, 27 July 2004 17:00

NEWS The tendency to blame all society's ills on the internet continued apace today with a report from children's charity NCH which claimed online bookies are failing to stop children from gambling.

The problem rests with children being able to set up accounts online with a whole host of bookies using their Solo debit cards, which banks now distribute to children as young as 11. The lack of any face-to-face contact means that in many cases a child would merely have to lie about their age in order to register.

The NCH investigation found that a 16-year-old girl was able to register with 30 out of 37 online bookies operating in the UK.

Andrew McIntosh, minister for gambling, said: "These are very worrying findings. Having already warned the industry that Solo cards should be treated with caution it is disappointing to find so many haven't taken this on board."

While McIntosh acknowledged the banks also play a part there are many who still feel the bookies are wrongly being singled out ahead of more culpable parties - especially those in the media who are already using this survey as another stick with which to beat 'the internet'.

Currently Abbey National, Barclays, HBOS, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, NatWest and RBS all make debit cards available to under-18s yet it is the bookies that end up shamed in the newspapers and on television, with little mention of the roles played by banks, the government and parents.

John Carr, internet consultant at NCH and father of the 16-year-old who conducted the research, said: "Everybody has a responsibility here: the banks, the betting sites, the government and the parents, but what this research specifically details is the fact that the majority of sites we tested are failing to properly verify the age of people when they sign up."

"The technology is there to do this - it's not blue-sky stuff - so it's a problem which needs to be solved now," said Carr.

Although keen to point out his company is one which now no longer accepts payments by Solo or Electron cards, Ed Pownall from UK online bookie Blue Square still believes the issue is being blown out of proportion and the blame misdirected.

Pownall believes banks in particular should be doing far more to help those in his industry. In the US, credit card numbers include a four-digit code which blocks them from being accepted in gambling transactions.

Blue Square's Pownall also believes a greater understanding of the extent of the problem needs to be ascertained - beyond simply establishing whether it is possible.

Although NCH was able to get one 16-year-old girl set up with accounts, that doesn't necessarily mean others her age will be doing likewise and actually go on to gamble. According to GamCare, which helps victims of gambling addictions, juvenile gambling problems owe more to slot machines in arcades and pubs than they do to the currently vilified gambling websites.

Pownall said: "Does anybody really think the playgrounds of Britain are filled with groups of children discussing who will win at Goodwood?"

Blue Square's Pownall also questioned the methodology of the research which tested how many sites "were unable to block access of an underage player at point of registration", according to the wording of the report. Pownall said: "While it may be easy for children to set up an account it is very hard for them to actually carry on and bet."

The role of the government may also need to be examined more closely. While the minister for gambling was willing to condemn the bookies, some may think this is a little rich given the fact new laws governing the operation of internet gambling sites won't be introduced until later this year, despite the fact websites have been taking bets now since the late nineties.

According to Carr, even once passed, the laws may not come into effect for another 18 months.