UK Govt cuts stakes on betting terminals

[Nicola]

British Government cuts stakes on "crack cocaine" betting terminals in gambling review

The maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals is to be reduced from £100 to between £2 and £50, the Government has announced.

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[dunover]

Yeah, beat me to it, here's the BBC versions:

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I have to say I do think it's about time, these have caused misery in the poorer communities.

 

[dunover]

There are also other things on this report of relevance; guidelines for childish adverts (we already saw the new promotional banners in most affiliate accounts) and more observation of advertising and a fund to look into it.

 

[slot_zombie]

Terrible mug machines, 91% RTP my arse.

 

[Spikie]

A better option than flat stake reduction would be to use a system like in Germany , which has a timer that restricts the amount of credit you can use in a certain timeframe, and also has enforced break times.

In that way you can still play higher stakes if wanted , but would make people wait for ages if you are losing.

Think the German format is 20 cents in per 4 seconds or somewhere near that , but can still win over 1000 euros if playing 2 Euro spins

 

[goatwack]

Out of touch and much too late, as per usual from the Government. The bookies aren't losing anything....so you bet £50 instead of £100, whoopedoo.

Bookmakers have got off lightly, and it's no surprise how much financial clout they possess after all. Their needs come first, then the gamblers'.

I await the day the Govt yanks these machines from the high street altogether, or caps bets at £1 to be used every couple of minutes. But of course that will never happen.

Money talks, always has, and the problem gambler will remain just that.

 

[geordiecolin]

They think that they can do what they want. Why don't they use plates like everybody else?

 

[Dinahnana]

I have heard so many horror stories about these FOBT'S and am thankful that they are banned in Ireland so we don't have to deal with these machines here in the bookies. I do have one big issue with the change along with many others they don't go far enough. Changing max bet from £100 to £50 is just not good enough in my opinion and will not help the situation with people getting into trouble with these machines. They needed to go further and make the max bet £5 or something. Just my opinion.

 

[trancemonkey]

I have heard so many horror stories about these FOBT'S and am thankful that they are banned in Ireland so we don't have to deal with these machines here in the bookies. I do have one big issue with the change along with many others they don't go far enough. Changing max bet from £100 to £50 is just not good enough in my opinion and will not help the situation with people getting into trouble with these machines. They needed to go further and make the max bet £5 or something. Just my opinion.

The max bet is unlikely to be £50 - it's also unlikely to be £2 or £5. The most likely figure is £20 - any less than this and the treasury will lose a fortune and all the bookmakers will launch a legal challenge... Any more than this, and the church / charities / etc. are likely to be unhappy.

Also, the average bet on Roulette is <£20 so a £20 limit would likely be the best...