UK gambling operators and a group of MPs have once again exchanged words in relation to the highly contentious fixed odds betting terminals as part of a highly publicized war between the two parties that spans for several years now.
The Association of British Bookmakers urged for a comprehensive inquiry into the latest report on the above-mentioned gambling machines ahead of its official publication. The report criticizes broadly the regulation of FOBTs across the UK and argues that a significant reduction in the maximum amounts that can be staked on the terminals should be implemented.
Last summer, the Fixed Odds Betting Terminal All-Party Parliamentary Group (FOBT APPG) announced that it would conduct its own review of the controversial machines in order to collect enough evidence to support its claim that certain limitations should be imposed upon those.
Today, six months after the FOBT APPG initiative was announced, the group is calling for maximum FOBTs wagers to be reduced to just £2. At present, the terminals accept bets of up to £100 every 20 seconds. The APPG also believes that the speed of spins on the machines should be reduced to diminish potential harm.
The report suggests that the Government should provide local authorities with power to curb gambling issues arising from FOBTs and prevent high concentration of betting shops in their areas.
In its paper, titled Fixed Odds Betting Assessing the Impact, MPs criticize the UK Gambling Commission for failing to consult the Government in an adequate manner over the past several years in relation to the regulation of the betting machines.
FOBTs have been part of the UK gambling industry, and an important one, for more than 15 years now. They have turned into key land-based revenue sources for bookmakers due to their popularity among players. According to data provided by the Gambling Commission, there were 34,884 such terminals across UK betting shops in the period between April 2015-March 2016.
UK gambling operators usually respond sharply to criticism related to FOBTs. As it can be expected, they did not hold their comments on the APPG’s review. In fact, a reaction came before the actual report’s publication. On Monday, the Association of British Bookmakers issued a statement, urging the UK Government to initiate an inquiry into the above-mentioned report as it was prejudiced and flawed, and was funded by parties that would benefit from the introduction of FOBT restrictions.
The UK Government is conducting its official triennial review of the country’s gambling industry. Officials announced last year that the probe will be greatly focused on FOBTs and a reduction in the maximum amounts wagered is expected to indeed be introduced. However, the chance for the reduction to be as significant as the FOBT APPG has suggested seems to be very slim, particularly given the staunch opposition a measure of this kind would be met with.
