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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/11/control-spread-betting-shops
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| Control the spread of betting shops | Control the spread of betting shops |
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| According to figures released by Fairer Gambling, more than £2bn was gambled using fixed odds betting terminals in our constituencies last year (Comment, 7 January). Punters are enticed off the high street with access to casino-type games and are able to stake £100 every 20 seconds. It is unacceptable that the advice to "monitor" the impact of these terminals has been ignored, particularly when the machines have been nicknamed the "crack cocaine of gambling" in the years since. The gambling industry must fund an annual independent survey that looks at problem gambling across the whole industry. | According to figures released by Fairer Gambling, more than £2bn was gambled using fixed odds betting terminals in our constituencies last year (Comment, 7 January). Punters are enticed off the high street with access to casino-type games and are able to stake £100 every 20 seconds. It is unacceptable that the advice to "monitor" the impact of these terminals has been ignored, particularly when the machines have been nicknamed the "crack cocaine of gambling" in the years since. The gambling industry must fund an annual independent survey that looks at problem gambling across the whole industry. |
| The government cannot cave in to the wishes of the bookmaking lobby by lifting the cap on the number of these terminals in each shop, as the culture select committee recently recommended. Far from lifting the cap, the government should carry out a review of FOBTs that considers reducing the maximum stake from £100, increasing the time between plays and the way the machines are licensed. We also believe that the best way to prevent the further clustering of betting shops is to change their planning category, giving residents and local government more say over their local high street. David Lammy MP Harriet Harman MP Clive Efford MP Hilary Benn MP Rushanara Ali MP Lyn Brown MP Stephen Timms MP Diane Abbott MP Lucy Powell MP Kate Hoey MP Andy McDonald MP Meg Hillier MP Jim Fitzpatrick MP | The government cannot cave in to the wishes of the bookmaking lobby by lifting the cap on the number of these terminals in each shop, as the culture select committee recently recommended. Far from lifting the cap, the government should carry out a review of FOBTs that considers reducing the maximum stake from £100, increasing the time between plays and the way the machines are licensed. We also believe that the best way to prevent the further clustering of betting shops is to change their planning category, giving residents and local government more say over their local high street. David Lammy MP Harriet Harman MP Clive Efford MP Hilary Benn MP Rushanara Ali MP Lyn Brown MP Stephen Timms MP Diane Abbott MP Lucy Powell MP Kate Hoey MP Andy McDonald MP Meg Hillier MP Jim Fitzpatrick MP |
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