5 years ago, UK government advisors predicted that gambling addiction would soon hit an all-time high and treatment would not keep up. Now, with news that the 6,000,000 mark has been surpassed, it seems they have been proved right.

Recent governments have failed their people in refusing to address industries in which addiction is rife thanks to their need for tax. We see it in the supermarkets, where alcohol is offered at cheaper prices than water thanks to government lobbying on the part of the CBI. Come the annual budget changes too, never do the government raise the tax on cigarettes enough to price out some buyers and cut NHS spending, and yet they continue to raise tax on property and threaten us with a tax on the one thing we need to survive - water.

The latest pathetic attempt on the part of the government to make the online gambling industry less perilous and more enjoyable for those with less experience has been called a "distraction" from the real issue, that of the latest figures suggesting that 10% of the UK population may have a gambling problem. It was a rare victory that the government won over an irresponsible ad campaign in the online industry, which is much harder to regulate than real casinos. Prime Scratchcards offered their games as a means to achieving financial stability if you claim benefits, and you can read the promotion here.

We at the Gambling Weblog have been keeping our eye on the ever-changing odds in football's Premier League. Now that we are in the second half of the season we can expect more regular fluctuations, and we'll keep you posted here.

The three markets to watch are the bet on the outright winners, the fight for fourth place and the relegation battle. The most recent change in the bookies predictions has seen Arsenal given longer odds to win the title race after they were held to a draw within hours of Chelsea ending Birmingham's unbeaten run with a 3-0 win and Manchester United's win over Manchester City in the Carling Cup. For anyone who believes the very-likely outcome of Arsenal winning the Premier League come May, this might be a good opportunity to find some decent odds.

Teams in contention for a coveted fourth place finish are Liverpool, Aston Villa, favourites Man City and Tottenham Hotspur. Thanks to Tottenham's win and Liverpool's draw on Tuesday night, Spurs are now 3/1 while Liverpool's odds have lengthened to 9/4, making them only marginally more likely according to the bookies.

Images of the Apple iPad were released this week to much anticipation and excitement. This new piece of innovation promises to remove paper from the workplace, giving you full internet access wherever you go without the need for a laptop with a keyboard. While it is pretty much just a bigger iPhone, internet bookies PaddyPower have begun to offer odds on the new technology breaking records and changing history, with odds of 11/4 given for sales in 2010 being between 2 million and 3 million. While it is unclear, I imagine this is for UK sales.



The iPad will be available for a bloated price of $499 in the US. Despite this, PaddyPower are offering odds of 5/2 for sales to fall between 3 and 4 million in the year 2010. Such sales would make it the quickest selling device in history, but no doubt the Apple faithful will find a way to help it along. 5/2 seem good odds to me...

Governor Steve Beshear waged a war throughout 2009 on online gambling as a reason for underage addiction in the USA. Now, his war has become more pragmatic, and he is pushing for the legalisation of slot gambling in the state of Kentucky.

Legal gambling is much easier to regulate and with the rise of the online industry causing problems internationally, it is a trend that states all over the US are trying to build places in which to gamble legally on the off chance that the laws are changed.

Beshear has made the argument that, despite the investment needed, the revenues generated in the first couple of years could go, in large part, towards helping the state recover from the thousands of layoffs brought about since 2008 as a result of the recession.

Beshear was recently seen as an enemy of the industry, having tried last year to seize 141 gambling domain names and failing. This is not, however, how he wishes to be seen and has also promised that the revenues generated from legal slot gambling would be put into the failing horse-racing industry, it being a large part of the Kentucky culture.

That's right, Simon Cowell and the X Factor even hold a monopoly over luck, as if all of last decade's music and media wasn't enough. When online gambling site Gala Bingo asked users to name who they would think most resembled a human embodiment of Lady Luck, four of the top five were members of Cowell's empire. Holly Willoughby, Susan Boyle and Stacey Solomon were up there in the poll topped by Cheryl Cole, along with Alesha Dixon.



Psychologists went along with the poll, telling us that this proves that with a positive approach and regardless of individual talents, we can all expect to luckier in 2010. Anyone with any sense knows that you make your own "luck" and it is only with some optimism can you be seen as lucky. It just says it all about the so-called "noughties", though, that even the concepts of optimism and luck are now controlled by "music" mogul Simon Cowell.