More than half a billion pounds were spent by players on high-stakes machines in Northern Ireland in a single year. According to reliable information reported by reputable media, the sum of around £1,020 per minute was wagered on fixed odds betting terminals over 2014.
A total of £535 million was spent over the last year through the machines. West Belfast and North Belfast were two of the most deprived areas in the country with £53,866,141 and £61,846,310 respectively bet.
The terminals where the record bets were made are £100-a-spin, digital casino gaming machines and are located in the specialized betting shops only. There are more than 900 gaming machines installed in more than 310 betting shops on the territory of Northern Ireland.
Some say such a record wave of betting is beneficial for the economy. However, other believe that such a behavior does no good and results in increased percentage of people prone to gambling addiction. The record wagers over 2014 have prompted the demands to the Government to make its work more efficient when it comes to imposing some limits on players to access gambling facilities.
As reported by reputable media, the Campaign for Fairer Gambling requires from the Government to reduce the stake from £100-a-spin to just £2. The Social Development Minister of the country – Mervyn Storey – has already had a meeting with the campaign consultant Adrian Parkinson, who shared his surprise from the fact that the machines are quite widespread in Northern Ireland.
According to Mr. Parkinson, the machines are what helps bookmakers generate substantial profits, which are constantly growing. He also explained that there is a “huge social cost in allowing high-stake, high-speed gaming of thy type”, which is also one of the reasons why the access to such gambling venues should be restricted.
The machines situated in the so-called betting shops are considered highly addictive, which has led to stakes of £100 to be laid literally every 20 seconds. There are cases when the stakes represent about half the the profits generated by bookmakers, which on the other hand, can leave punters with really large bills. There are cases of gambling addictions, which have crossed the line and resulted in serious consequences in both personal and professional lives of the gamblers.
For example, there was a case of an English citizen who spent £200,000 in a decade after becoming addicted to betting machines.
That is exactly the reason why the campaign requires a £2-a-go barrier, in an attempt of stopping more people from being affected by the harmful habit that could lead to unwanted consequences. Mr. Parkinson also added that “a strategic review of gambling policy” has been proposed and the Executive of Northern Ireland has the power and opportunity to take the matter into his own hand and do something about it by reducing the stakes on FOBTs.
