The government is being pressed by the UK cross- party council organization and the Local Government Association (LGA) to decrease the maximum betting amount on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) from £100 to £2. The MP’S are being requested by the LGA to support an instant government assessment on UK FOBTs policy. The LGA aims to decrease possible risks to susceptible gambling customers. There will be increase in the influence tests as stated by the council organization. This will enable councils to discard bookmaker applications in the UK areas deemed to have increased betting shop densities.
Additional requirements that have been aired by the LGA include pursuing the councils to contemplate on anti- social, community health and crime factors in the revision of recent bookmaker licensing. The UK casinos are also another target of the LGA, where the machine wagering amount is set to be reduced to £5 stakes. Customers’ placing bets over £50 on B2 machines were put under supervision; this was done according to the government rules to UK bookmaker operations in April, 2015. Research conducted by the LGA shows that there are over 34, 500 FOBTs in the UK where players can place bets of £100 in each single spin of roulette wheel which lasts for 20 seconds.
According to Simon Blackburn, the Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities board, the councils in whole country are concerned about the numbers of the increased bets FOBTs and the gambling shops on the high streets and have been upset by the shortage of powers they have to do away with. He also added that the increased incentives on FOBTs are generally out of place when compared with other high class street betting machines. The machines were exposing customers to harm and there was also anti-social behavior causing countrywide concern.
The Association of British Bookmakers did not take all the LGA’s claims too well and defended themselves stating that the UK bookmakers were one of the safest places for gamblers. The government came up with a final verdict last July and decided to leave stakes and prizes fixed on gaming machines. The local authorities have enough powers through the licensing process to make use of the available gambling shops on the streets, added the British Bookmakers.
This article is published in: News
Tags: Legislation, UK
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