Esther McVey Opposes UK Government Crackdown on Controversial FOBTs

The crackdown which was supposed to be imposed on addictive fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) today, got delayed once again, after the British Conservative Party member and current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey protested against the measure.

Following numerous postponements, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has proposed to roll out the measure, under the maximum bet allowed at FOBTs is to be reduced frompound;100 topound;2, today. However, according to media reports, the Work and Pensions Secretary McVey has strongly objected to the Government’s aims. According to The Times, individuals close to the situation revealed that Ms. McVey has lodged a protest against the move against tighter regulation of the machines which have been considered highly-addictive.

Members of the authorities who have backed the maximum bet decrease to £2, including the DCMS Secretary Matthew Hancock, now expressed fears that the British Prime Minister Theresa May may decide to proceed with a higher maximum limit. Rumour has it that among the sources knowledgeable about the matter said the £2 limit was “not over the line yet”.

Reportedly, a cross-party set of members of this Parliament who endorsed the FOBTs bet reduction wrote to The Times today, urging PM May to behave. The letter, signed by Iain Duncan Smith and over 40 other members of this Parliament, blames fixed-odds gambling machines such as causing severe social injury as well as huge financial losses to affected players.

Tracey Crouch Promised Decline of FOBTs Maximum Stake

The machines, which have been blamed for being too addictive to more vulnerable individuals, now allow players to place a maximum bet of around £100 each 20 seconds. According to anti-FOBTs campaigners, the way these terminals work has proven to be encouraging to players to wager more and more each single time — something which often ended up not only with enormous losses generated, but also with gambling-related offenses, mental health difficulties, depression, family breakdowns, unemployment and even suicide attempts.

The Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has previously revealed the maximum fixed-odds gambling machines’ stake ofpound;100 who is presently permitted, is to be reduced. However, local bookmakers were provided with the chance to talk about their opinions prior to the last decision of this Government is introduced. As a result, heads of top UK gambling companies have approached the Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock using a letter in an attempt to prevent the anticipated crackdown on FOBTs.

At the end of April, quite a few local bookmakers, including GVC Holdings, William Hill, Betfred, Scotbet and Jenningsbet compared to Government’s intentions to slash the maximum stake allowed at the machines to £2. According to the operators, such a move would have a detrimental effect on their gambling revenue, as well as on the amount of jobs in the business, saying that the maximum bet reduction could cause massive lay-offs across local gaming stores.

Related News