Gambling review must not punish casual punters

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A few years ago I walked into a bookies to place a bet on the Grand National and was asked to leave. My only crime was to be carrying my baby daughter Esme on my chest. Bookmakers face stiff fines for having any children on the premises and the staff were blunt in implementing the rules.

It was therefore unsurprising to me when I learned that their record on age verification checks is better than that of convenience stores, petrol forecourts and supermarkets.

This clear commitment to safer gambling is rather inconvenient for those behind the growing tide of political puritanicalism: a close-minded view that all betting shops are bad, often expressed by people who’ve never set foot in one — but probably also have