Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) – the machines that offer a large variety of casino games and some of the highest stakes in the industry – have been a controversial topic over the last few years. The machines have been put under a lot of criticism since almost day one, with many Members of the Parliament, as well as charity organisations blaming them for the large stakes offered and their addictiveness which ended up in ruining people’s lives.
According to some researchers, uninterrupted machine play that can be very dangerous for more vulnerable players who suffer from problem gambling behaviour and gambling addictions as it could lead to a trance-like state similar to the one drug addicts experience.
Lately, the machines have been blamed for ruining thousands of lives on an annual basis, making players so addicted they could bet on, and on, and on, on a machine finding out they lost everything in the end. Here are some real stories of people who literally found their lives in ruins due to their FOBTs addiction that had made them spent all they had on the fixed-odds betting machines.
Businessman Loses Everything on FOBTs
Simon Perfitt, a gambling addict, is a brilliant example of the devastating impact fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) could have on an individual’s life. More than ten years ago, everything in Perfitt’s life seemed right, but in fact, he led a double life.
He was not aimed to use all the money he earned in order to build a better life for himself and his girlfriend, but used to spend it on local bookmakers’ fixed-odds betting machines. As he explained, at one point he worked to go on the machines and spend up to 12 hours a day there. This addiction cost him not only his job, his relationship, but also his home, literally leaving his life in ruins after Perfitt lost the monstrous amount of £200,000 on FOBTs in a period of approximately 10 years.
Once a businessman who had led a lavish lifestyle, he suddenly found himself homeless and helpless, until he finally decided to seek help after moving from Cambridge to Dudley. A few years ago, he launched a charity, which has been engaged in a campaign seeking a reduction of fixed-odds betting terminals’ maximum stake from £100 to £2.
Family Fun Trips Went Wrong
The story of Chris starts at his early childhood, when he travelled to seaside resorts and amusement arcades with his family, making what seemed like innocent entertainment trips. However, the world of gambling lured him to what became a real-life nightmare, since Chris developed a life-long gambling habit.
At the time of a serious gabling addiction which lasted more than twenty years, Chris managed to lose £350,000. It all started at the age of 13, when he began placing some bets on the table football in the school common room. Then, it did not take him long to start betting in local bookmaker’s shops, and enter into a casino at the age of 17.
However, for Chris there is absolutely no doubt that the fixed-odds betting terminals were the most addictive to him. He confessed that he lost about £9,000 in less than two hours on FOBTs, which were soon boosted to the amount of £25,000 in five months. The addiction led him to thoughtless decisions such as emptying his debit card, spending the money in 12-hours sessions trying to win back what he had lost.
FOBTs Addiction Ruining Salesman’s Life
Less than two weeks before Christmas, Tony Franklin, a successful salesman, lost a massive amount of £3,500 in less than an hour on fixed-odds betting terminals. And it was easy to do that. The gambling addict simply walked into a betting shop and lost £500 on an electronic roulette game. Less than ten minutes later, he used his debit card to deposit another £1,000, which he lost in about 40 minutes. Then he spent another £1,000 only to find himself depositing another £1,000 ten minutes later.
The player revealed that the money was supposed to be used to pay back some debts, as well as for Christmas presents for his family. Previously, he has fought a gambling addiction, but eventually, he ended up spending everything he had managed to save over the months he had stayed away from gambling. After spending almost everything he got on fixed-odds betting terminals, Franklin confessed that such addictions were not only dangerous, but they literally ruined his life several times.
FOBTs Review and Increased Criticism
As mentioned above, the highly-addictive nature of the fixed-odds betting terminals and the large maximum stakes allowed have been long criticised by the UK Government and various charities aimed at raising players’ gambling addiction awareness.
The fact that fixed-odds betting machines currently allow players place a maximum bet of £100 every 20 seconds is more than worrying, as players are literally given the opportunity to lose massive amounts of money in long gaming sessions with nobody to prevent them from doing that.
The Government is expected to soon release its long-awaited review on the UK gambling sector and FOBTs, and to forge stricter legislation and regulatory regime in order to protect local players from developing problem gambling behaviour. Now, everyine operating in the industry have their eyes on the upcoming review that could change everything for UK gambling operators in the blinking of an eye.
- Author
Daniel Williams
