Over the weekend, the UK Labour Party made a solemn promise to support the Government in its policy against fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Tom Watson, the Labour’s deputy leader and shadow culture secretary, explained that the party backs the efforts of the local government to reduce maximum stakes allowed on FOBTs across the country.
The Government has been considering to make certain reforms in the rules under which fixed-odds betting machines are run on the territory of the UK. Currently, such machines offer various casino-style games, as well as bingo, roulette and poker.
Earlier in August, the Chancellor Philip Hammond, urged the authorities to put an end to the FOBTs review, saying that the change that is considered be implemented in the staking rules could seriously harm the financial inflow to the UK Treasury. The major concerns of Treasury officials are associated with the proposed reduction of the maximum stake allowed on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to just £2, with opponents of the clampdown sharing their belief that such a step would cost about £400 millions in tax receipts to the country.
According to Chancellor Hammond, the reduction of the maximum stakes offered by the machines would make the UK Treasury suffer a serious blow.
It came to Casino Guardian’s knowledge that the Labour Party’s deputy leader wrote in a letter to the Culture Secretary Karen Bradley that the Party would back the crackdown measures of the local Government, saying he was absolutely sure that their support would provide the necessary numbers in Parliament for the change to be implemented.
Up to date, there are over 34,000 fixed-odds betting machines in bookmakers’ premises on the territory of the UK, with their number been doubled over a period of 10 years. The maximum stake currently allowed is £100, with the amount allowed to be placed every 20 seconds. FOBTs have lately faced harsh criticism from various organisations, including charitable ones, as well as by local authorities.
Due to their addictiveness, the country’s Government have been considering a crackdown that would reduce the maximum stake allowed to as much as £2. A certain delay between spins is also considered in an attempt for the addictive nature of the machines to be reduced.
It was exactly the addictiveness of the machines which have turned FOBTs in a controversial issue across the UK for some time now. The increased concerns of local authorities have led to a Government-initiated review of fixed-odds betting terminals across the country. The Ministry for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) published a consultation on the maximum FOBTs stakes in October 2016.
The review was expected to start in the autumn of 2017, but it has been delayed because of some disagreements between the DCMS and the Treasury.
- Author
Daniel Williams
