The reduction of the maximum stakes British gamblers can place on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), which the Government had authorised, has led to an almost 40% reduction in police callouts to bookmakers to deal with customers who are becoming violent after losing some money on the machines.
According to The Guardian, the 2019 legislation under which the maximum stake of FOBT bets was slashed from £100 to £2, with the step also leading to a 38% decline in the number of police callouts to local betting shops. In comparison to the 2,907 that were reported in 2018, a total of 1,803 callouts were registered in 2019, even though the lower maximum stake took effect in April 2019.
The aforementioned figure, which was obtained under freedom of information, also showed a 23% decline in incidents requiring police presence in comparison to the figures from 2017 and an almost 50% decline from the 4,060 incidents reported in 2016. As revealed by The Guardian, the figures exclude data from one sports betting operator, which was left unnamed, because it used the wrong methodology.
Members of Parliament and anti-gambling campaigners that have been involved in the move to cut FOBTs’ maximum stakes have shared that the decision for the reduction has apparently reduced strain on police resources engaged with the effort to tackle the machines’ effect on local punters.
UKGC Says Other Factors Have Also Contributed to Lower Number of Police Callouts in 2019
Tracey Crouch, the former sports minister, who filed her resignation in an attempt to push the Government to unveil its plans for the stake cut, explained that the recently unveiled data indicated better protection for both British punters and betting shop staff members. Ms Crouch further noted that the move resulted in reduced costs to the public purse.
According to the ex-sports minister, the direct impact that the reduction of FOBT maximum stake had always been associated with the reduction of possible gambling-related harm to the individual gambler. Ms Crouch, however, confirmed that the maximum stake cuts had an indirect impact on the violence rates in UK-based betting shops.
As shared by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the maximum stake reduction implemented on the controversial gambling machines was not the only factor that led to the reduction in police callouts. The regulator also highlighted the improved links between the police and betting shops, as well as the broader decline in the number of betting outlets and the decreasing overall crime rates were also among the factors that led to the reduction in police callouts in the sector.
During the long-time debate regarding the betting machines, officials from the Treasury have shares concerns about the loss of more than £450 million in yearly tax contributions that would have been otherwise brought to the country’s coffers.
- Author
Olivia Cole
