SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
News sources in the UK report that the government is revising plans to curb the growth of high street betting shops in order to limit the number of fixed-odds betting terminals displayed to UK betting consumers.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has made public that problem gambling may be an issue that needs to be readdressed by government. The PM has offered to work with the Labour opposition party in order to deal with the matter.
Opposition leader Ed Miliband has called recently for action to tackle the rising number of betting shops and machines allowing people to stake up to £100 on a single bet, which means they can lose £300 a minute.
The Labour party have stated that they would protect all customers from fixed-odds betting terminals, by banning the machines from high-street visibility. Labour states that the machines should only be accessible to customers via licensed casinos.
Currently UK gambling law permits high street sports betting shops four ‘high-stakes’ machines. Critics of the machines claim that the law is being bypassed by bookmakers opening up more betting shops in low commercial rent areas, thus creating ‘mini-casinos in deprived areas of the UK.
A 2013 study by the Gambling Commission stated 51% of gaming revenues generated by betting shops could be attributed to fixed-odd terminals. The study also claimed that the UK currently had over 33,000 active terminals, generating over £1.5bn in gross revenues for gaming operators.
UK politicians Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association, have joined the call for limits on the number of betting shops
