The debate over fixed odds betting terminals that are located in licensed betting offices in the UK reached the country’s Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Tom Watson, Labour MP for West Bromwich East, asked Prime Minister David Cameron whether he would ban the machines, which have become a target for criticism.
Watson said: “Fixed odds betting machines allow the user to stake £100 every 20 seconds for up to 13 hours a day.They have transformed the local bookies from places where you can have a flutter on the horses into high street digital casinos. Will the PM consider banning these addictive machines as has recently happened in Ireland?”
Responding, the Prime Minister said: “This is an issue that I have been repeatedly lobbied on by people across this house and more broadly and I do think it is worth having a proper look at this issue to see what we can do to make sure that yes, we want to have bookmakers that are not over regulated, but on the other hand a fair approach and a decent approach that prevents problem gambling.”
In the recent Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes, the government opted to maintain the status quo on FOBTs, preferring instead to note that information was “not sufficiently robust” on the social impact from the machines.
It felt that there “remains a very serious case to answer in relation to potential harm caused by B2 (FOBTs) machines and are exploring what precautionary measures might be needed and when.”
