The leading UK charity organisation GambleAware announced that it has funded a new research on the £50 Regulations of the Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) on the territory of the country. According to the press release issued by GambleAware on the matter, the fact that more players who became more oriented towards the lower minimum stake of £50 does not necessarily mean that they have become more responsible in terms of their gambling habits or the eventual harm that could be inflicted has been minimised.
The Chief Executive Officer of GambleAware Marc Etches commented on the research, saying that the UK gambling charity published the report at a time when FOBTs had fell under the criticism under the UK Government and regulatory authorities. According to him, the survey held was important to evaluate the efficiency of the social responsibility measures which had been lately imposed on operators across the country.
The research has been conducted by two professors from the University of Liverpool and the University of Salford – Professor David Forrest and Professor Ian McHale. The study was aimed at evaluating the impact of the new regulations imposed on the fixed-odds betting machines, which were officially introduced in April 2015. The new regulatory measures included introducing a betting limit of £50, in order to restrict players to place wagers exceeding the permitted amount.
The new £50 Regulations changed the conditions of use of FOBTs, so the research has been conducted to find out what effect it had in terms of reducing the negative effects of gambling on fixed-odds betting terminals.
However, the new conditions seem to have been ineffective when it comes to reducing the negative effects in such players. According to the two professors who have conducted the study, the results may be optimistic in case one focuses on the betting stakes only, but when it comes to mechanisms for paying and speed of play, the new measures were not efficient enough to minimise gambling-related harm.
According to Professor Ian McHale, the reduction of the maximum betting level from £100 to £50 led to an increase in the number of £50 stakes placed, so the total amount of the stakes had been almost the same as before. In addition, there had been an increase in the average betting session duration, and the number of plays per session. According to him, the findings of the research proved that the measures implemented had proven to be ineffective in terms of protecting the more vulnerable players.
For several years now, fixed-odds betting machines has caused a lot of concerns due to the relatively high maximum stakes of £100 allowed. The concerns have gone even further over the past several months, so that the FOBTs in the country have been referred to as a great danger for players’ bankrolls, as the staking limit of £100 could lead to significant losses.
So, the £50 Regulations were incorporated as a response to these concerns, in order to reduce the maximum betting stake by half. Apart from this, the modification in the FOBTs regulations has been implemented in order to help players modify their behaviour and betting habits and become more careful when it comes to placing large bets. Some of these measures have been successful, but the research sponsored by GamblingAware proved that others unfortunately failed.
- Author
Daniel Williams
