Lancashire gamblers could lose an amount of approximately £3 million on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) this summer, with no further proactive measures taken by local MPs.
According to estimates, the gamblers in the county could lose a total of £2,952,551, despite the fact that anti-gambling campaigners are still calling for the Government to bring further measures into effect in order to protect gambling addicts.
It seems that Blackpool would be most affected by the increased spending on the high-rates gambling machines, with its residents’ spending on FOBTs expected to amount to a total of £748,387. New data also showed that Preston gamblers could lose out on spending £409,906 over the recess period. South Ribble’s gamblers are expected to lose almost £205,000 on gambling machines, while the ones in Chorley will probably lose up a total amount of £170,794.
BACTA, an abbreviation which stands for the British Amusement Catering Trade Association, commented on the expected figures, saying that they represent the urgency of implementing the new maximum stake on the addictive gambling machines as soon as possible. John White, CEO of BACTA, explained that the decision for the FOBT maximum stake reduction was a huge step forward but the changes need to be implemented as quickly as possible in order to prevent gambling-related harm from spreading even further to at-risk players.
UK Government Faces Criticism over FOBT’s Stake Reduction Delay
While the British Government has already announced its resolution to cut the maximum stake available on FOBTs, anti-gambling campaigners and charity organisations have shared their concerns with the delay in the legislation changes’ implementation, which may not be turned into law until 2020.
Members of Parliament have been blamed by anti-gambling campaigners for the delay, which according to campaigners is not necessary. According to the gambling machines’ opponents, the delay of the reduced FOBT maximum stake implementation put more vulnerable individuals and local families in serious danger from being affected by gambling-related harm. They have called the authorities to make sure that the new legislation is brought into action as soon as possible.
The reduction in the maximum stake of the FOBTs from £100 to £2 is expected to end up also with a reduction of the number of betting outlets offering the addictive gambling machines, as well as a declined in the betting shops profit. The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has already warned about the devastating effects which the decision of the British Government to slash the maximum stake of the gambling terminals, saying that such a step would result in the closures of a massive number of betting outlets and some layoffs across the industry.
According to FOBTs opponents, the delay between the announcement for the maximum stake reduction and the actual implementation of the £2 stake is too long. BACTA has also supported the campaigners, saying that there was actually no technical justification for the delay, which would only lead to more vulnerable people being put at risk from becoming gambling addicts.
- Author
Daniel Williams
