Pressure to clamp down on 'toxic' gambling machines

Written by David Fletcher 22 Apr 2016
Pressure to clamp down on 'toxic' gambling machines

Fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are electronic roulette machines where players can bet on a variety of different games. There is a maximum stake of £100 every twenty seconds, meaning £300 can be lost in a single minute – more than a week's wages for many. A poll of MPs showed 72% want tougher regulations on high stake FOBTs. 81% of the cross-party MPs say FOBTs are having a negative effect on society, and 67% say the current maximum stake is too high. Christian charity CARE's chief executive Nola Leach said that this poll is encouraging and shows there is real appetite for action from MPs all across the House of Commons. Reducing the maximum stake in the first instance would help limit the harm caused to people's lives.

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