The results from a government-led review of the highly controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) will not be made public before October due to the recent UK general election, Minister Tracey Crouch confirmed during Thursday House of Commons questions.
It was last October when the government announced the beginning of a probe into the betting machines and their effect on vulnerable gambling customers. Said probe came as part of a triennial review officials make into the country’s gambling industry.
FOBTs were introduced in betting shops around the UK in the early 2000s and quickly became player-favorite offering. Generally speaking, this type of gaming machines provides players with the chance to bet on the outcome of popular casino games. Their dynamic nature and the opportunity to wager up to £100 every 20 seconds has made them widely popular among betting shop frequenters.
And it is their dynamic nature that has caught the attention of a number of both political and non-political groups. FOBTs have been subjected to heavy criticism over the years, mainly due to the maximum stakes they accept and the fact that this has been believed to be making them extremely addictive.
Results from the review were expected to be announced this spring. However, the call for snap election and the period of purdah, during which government departments tend to refrain from making any important announcements, delayed any further action on FOBTs.
It is still unclear what the probe will lead to, but many believe that there will be certain changes in the way the controversial machines are operated. FOBTs opponents have called for years now for maximum stakes to be be reduced from £100 to just £2.
And if the implementation of such a major reduction sounded close to impossible prior to the general election, it now seems that it may gain the necessary support. The Labour Party has long been among the staunchest supporters of the proposed change in maximum stakes accepted. The group even included the measure in its election manifesto.
On the other hand, the Conservatives have generally kept a rather neutral stance on the matter. Losing its majority in the parliament after the general election, the group partnered the Democratic Unionist Party to stabilize its position. Here it is important to note that the DUP has also long been among the vocal FOBTs opponents, so it may have its say on the matter when the time for action comes.
Minister Crouch, who is known to be the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, and Heritage and who has been involved in FOBTs discussions for several years now, said during the Thursday questions session in the Commons that she was herself frustrated with the turn of events. She further pointed out that they may have returned at the start of the process of considering the results from the review and the subsequent process of approval of the measures to be taken.
If a reduction of the maximum stakes accepted is adopted, this would hit severely British bookmakers, whose retail businesses are highly dependent on FOBTs. According to information released by the UK Gambling Commission, there was an average number of 34,399 FOBTs in betting shops across the UK in the period between October 2015-September 2016. Those generated the amount of £1.8 billion in gross gambling yield, more than any other betting machine type available in facilities.
