Yes, the press is usually disingenuous when it comes to stats, and although I detest the neo-Marxist Guradina it has simply followed on from a TV documentary pointing out the same thing - sucking money out of communities, cash from the vulnerable and destroying lives. Known as the 'crack cocaine' of gambling, these FOBTs (I've never played one BTW) are not random in true sense of an online slot, and you can see videos of players FORCING a number to come out 3 times consecutively by backing the other 35 almost impossible on a random wheel or system. They are that bad bookmakers have tried to apply for licences for shops solely offering FOBTs and not even any betting, due to the fast turnover and huge profits they generate. Bookmakers in my opinion, and actually were, places where you could wager on the outcome of physical events not controlled or influenced by the bookmaker. Not FOBT's. Not stupid speedball draws. Not slot machines. Today they have crossed the boundaries to become semi-licensed casinos, and the huge profits made are also heavily spent on lobbying MP's, hence the reluctance for action. In Ireland these were banned from bookies years ago. The bookmakers also heavily spend on TV sponsorship and advertising, hence you'll never see storylines of people addicted to online gambling nor FOBT's on commercial TV. An example being Corrie when the character Robbie was addicted, but all you ever saw was a trip to an anonymous building purporting to be a physical casino, or a punt on a horse in the bookies. He was portrayed as having built up debt but always having won a wad of cash at the vital moment to save the day.... Don't hold your breath for a story on commercial TV graphically showing hungry/neglected kids when parent(s) have spunked every penny in FOBT's or online slots or ignored them for hours when playing. Don't expect a storyline showing tired/irritable people at work because of gaming issues.
You are all getting the propaganda you pay for. Simples.
Yes, we all like to play or we wouldn't be here, and we like the freedom to choose. But you can't have freedom without responsibility.
THIS is the kind of thing that needs to be forced into the open, not just a youtube video that people might stumble upon. It might break the faith of those that regularly play FOBTs, who probably think that despite everything else, it's a fair game, and they can win.
Using a bit of clever "spin", players could be lead to interpret this quirk as proof that all FOBTs cheat, and they can NEVER win, unlike traditional sports betting where the outcome is out of the hands of the bookies, and they often get stung when popular selections all win at a major race meeting. This wont target betting in general, just the FOBTs.
The reason you see so many bookies in a small area is because they are "gaming the system". There is a player protection rule that limits each bookie to 4 FOBTs. They get around this by opening loads of smaller shops, each with it's own 4 FOBT allowance, rather than one big shop. Because FOBTs are rigged, they can guarantee a set long term profit, and cannot be caught out one week by a few lucky players. They shouldn't even need to cheat as roulette is a high house edge game. I suspect the cheating is to bring the RTP of the FOBTs down to 90% from the natural 95% seen on a fair roulette table.
There are players that claim to be able to beat FOBTs, and this is the danger of making these "compensated" games available. It is even worse with FOBTs, where banning a player could be seen as an admission of a lack of confidence of the fairness of their FOBTs.
Unfortunately, the long running battle between the "pro" players and the operators has been fought out of sight of the mainstream media. Many "pro" players do NOT want it to become general knowledge that there is money to be made, and so are wary of supplying main stream media with proof that some systems work. Operators too want it kept quiet, and when they ban someone, it is often for vague reasons, and they can hide behind the "right to refuse admission" rather than accuse the player of cheating.
It needs an undercover investigation by Panorama or Dispatches to expose this aspect, but first they need to recruit a "pro" player.
Some while ago, it seems Channel 4 were sniffing around the player forums looking for a pro player willing to take part in a documentary about beating the games, but there were no takers. The general chatter was that it would involve their systems being aired on national TV, and being rendered worthless overnight as everybody went out to give it a try. This was already happening with some systems where knowledge became too widespread.
I don't know of any attempts by UK mainstream media to produce a documentary about online gambling from the viewpoint of the "pro" player out to beat the system. This DID happen elsewhere, and is why the Danes are bonus banned from large numbers of casinos.
