Councils hail decision to cut maximum stakes for fixed odds betting terminals to £2

Councils have welcomed the government’s announcement that the maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals will be reduced from £100 to £2.

Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “This announcement is fantastic news and a sensible decision to help tackle the harm these machines can cause. The LGA and others have campaigned for a number of years for a reduction in maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals which are significantly out of line with other high street gambling machines and we are delighted that the Government has responded to our calls.

“Bringing the stake down to £2 will help to reduce problem gambling and its devastating impacts on individuals and communities. It will help prevent vulnerable players from losing £100 in seconds in a single play, which many people cannot afford to lose.”

Cllr Blackburn added: “The harm and anti-social behaviour these machines can cause has become an issue of growing national concern, while research has shown that problem gambling, often linked to FOBTs, creates huge costs for the NHS, councils and the criminal justice system.

“It is right that government has listened to these concerns and we urge it to introduce the new £2 limit as soon as possible.”

In addition to the reduction to FOBT stakes the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed:

• The Gambling Commission will toughen up protections around online gambling including stronger age verification rules and proposals to require operators to set limits on consumers’ spending until affordability checks have been conducted.
• A major multi-million pound advertising campaign promoting responsible gambling, supported by industry and GambleAware, will be launched later this year.
• The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has amended its code to ensure that a responsible gambling message will appear for the duration of all TV adverts.
• Public Health England will carry out a review of the evidence relating to the public health harms of gambling.
• As part of the next licence competition the age limit for playing National Lottery games will be reviewed, to take into accounts developments in the market and the risk of harm to young people.

The Department said that "in order to cover any negative impact on the public finances, and to protect funding for vital public services, this change will be linked to an increase in Remote Gaming Duty, paid by online gaming operators, at the relevant Budget".

Changes to the stake will be through secondary legislation. "The move will need parliamentary approval and we will also engage with the gambling industry to ensure it is given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes," the Department added.