MP, Labour’s Shadow Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, commenting on
the Gambling Commission’s recommendation that maximum Fixed Odds
Betting Terminals (FOBTs) stakes should be cut to £30, said:
“This is a deeply disappointing report from the Gambling
Commission who appear to have caved in to industry pressure.
“Ministers must not use this report as cover to maintain the
status quo.
“Gambling addiction treatment experts have identified that
roulette style FOBT games are highly addictive and the Gambling
Commission accepts that they are the most used FOBT game in
bookies shops across the country.
“These machines are at the heart of the UK’s hidden epidemic of
problem gambling. The Government must cut the stake to £2 on all
FOBT machines including the highly addictive roulette style
games, as well as increase the delay between each play.”
Ends
Notes to editors
-
· Cutting
the stakes on ‘slots’ based fixed odds betting terminals alone
will not mitigate the harm caused by these machines, when they
only account for 6.5% of the overall losses experienced by
players.
-
· Labour’s
manifesto commits us to reducing the maximum stake on Fixed Odds
Betting Terminals from £100 to £2.
- · Labour
will also legislate to increase the delay between spins to reduce
the addictive nature of the games.
