The dramatic cut of stakes on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) – from £100 to just £2 - is a ‘stunning victory’ for campaigners and charities who have faced an uphill battle to see this reduction happen.

The machines, dubbed the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’ are highly addictive; gamblers can bet £100 every 20 seconds on the machines. FOBT’s contributed to 96 per cent of all losses over £1,000 in betting shops and have been linked closely to crippling debt, crime, mental health issues, marriage and family breakdown and in extreme cases – suicide.

Betting shops featuring Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, using industry data, by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling show that in Scotland, gamblers lost about £1.1billion between 2008 and 2016. The biggest loss, £236million was for gamblers in Glasgow, with Edinburgh suffering loses of £119million and North Lanarkshire at £90million.

CARE for Scotland Parliamentary Officer, Dr Gordon Macdonald speaks out

“CARE have long campaigned for a reduction from £100 to £2 per spin after witnessing the negative impact these machines have had on people’s lives across the UK.”

“There has been real frustration felt in communities across Scotland and for councils who have been almost powerless in curtailing the damage that fixed odds betting terminals have wrought.”

“FOBTs are predominantly found clustered in economically deprived areas and it has been a huge concern that their presence there deliberately targets vulnerable people.”

“The government were right to sign off on a £2 stake; this reduction will go a long way to minimise the harm these machines cause.”

With more people in Scotland thinking that problem gambling is a significant issue than in any other part of the United Kingdom, action alone on FOBTs is not enough.

Problem gambling is a huge concern in Scotland, CARE’s research shows that 14.5 million people – almost 10 per cent – of the population know someone personally with a gambling problem.

The research also shows that 71 per cent of Scots think that gambling is now a significant issue in Britain today.

66% of men (61% of men and women) are unhappy with the current arrangement in which the Government encourages the gambling industry to make voluntary contributions to help care for problem gamblers. 66% of men told the ComRes poll that the level of contribution should be increased and that it should be made compulsory. The total value of such contributions last year was just £8 million – 0.06% of Gross Gambling Yield.

Dr Gordon Macdonald concludes

“The government’s intervention on fixed odds betting terminals is a very welcome step but it must continue to press the gambling industry to do more to help problem gamblers.”

“The damaging effects of gambling have become visible across society and the Government has a real opportunity now to introduce better and more robust protections and to care for those whose lives have been negatively impacted by gambling. This poll shows that majority of the public would support such action being taken.”

Ends

Notes to the editor:

CARE has spoken out about the damage of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals for many years and CARE’s Director of Parliamentary Affairs gave evidence at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and called on the government to reduce the stakes on the machines from £100 to £2 per spin.

CARE has long spoken out about the harmful effects of FOBTs on individuals and society and advocated for the reduction of stakes for FOBTs, noting the link between problem gambling and proliferation of betting shops with FOBTs: Research shows link between problem gambling and proliferation of betting shops with FOBTs

England's poorest bet £13bn on gambling machines -Amount gambled on high-speed machines in deprived boroughs is double that staked in richest areas, report claims

Wheel of Misfortune: the case for lowering the stakes on FOBTs – ResPublica and Fairer Gambling report, Oct 2017

CARE has previously helped facilitate events in parliament where recovering problem gamblers have been able to relate to parliamentarians the devastating effects of gambling addictions on their lives and on the lives of their families.

CARE Polling – link to polls

ComRes interviewed 2,036 GB adults online between 19th and 21st January 2018. Data were weighted to be representative of all British adults aged 18+ by age, gender, region and social grade. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

CARE has previously helped facilitate events in parliament where recovering problem gamblers have been able to relate to parliamentarians the devastating effects of gambling addictions on their lives and on the lives of their families.

To see more on our latest work on gambling please click here: https://care.org.uk/news/gambling