A report by MPs in the UK calling for more control of fixed-odds betting terminals has been found to breach parliamentary standards.
A cross-party group of politicians, backed by casinos, amusement arcades and pubs, was alleged to have broken the rules four times in a report calling for the maximum stake on FOBTs to be reduced from £100 to £2.
Breaches cited by the parliamentary commissioner for standards include a lack of transparency about free advice the group received from a public affairs firm employed by gambling companies that do not offer FOBTs.
The verdict has been hailed as a victory by bookmakers, who derive more than half of their revenue from the machines and say cutting the maximum stake would cost jobs in the industry.
The report was published during a government review into gaming machines, which is due to conclude after next month’s general election and is expected to recommend that the maximum stake be cut to between £10 and £20.
Malcolm George, the chief executive of the Association of British Bookmakers, welcomed the parliamentary watchdog’s decision to censure a group that has been among the loudest detractors of FOBTs.
“This group of MPs are now revealed as serial offenders for their misleading report about gaming machines in betting shops,” he said. “The MPs’ report has been exposed as a shambolic, shoddy and one-sided piece of work that has broken a long list of parliamentary rules.”
