The UK’s Gambling Commission has recommended that the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) is cut to £30 or below – a move designed to crack down on problem gambling and protect the most vulnerable players.
Up until now FOBTs have allowed players to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds, which means that they could theoretically lose up to £18,000 an hour.
On Monday the commission recommended that the stake limit for FOBT non-slot games, such as roulette, should be set at £30 or less and the limit for FOBT slot machines should be set at £2.
The recommendations have been summarised in a letter to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It's now up to ministers to decide whether to implement the changes.
“We’ve put consumers at the heart of our advice – advice which is based on the best available evidence and is focussed on reducing the risk of gambling-related harm,” said Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur.
“In our judgement, a stake cut for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals alone doesn’t go far enough to protect vulnerable people. That is why we have recommended a stake cut plus a comprehensive package of other measures to protect consumers,” he added.
The commission also recommended banning the facility for machines to allow different categories of games to be played in a single session and has said that there is “a strong case” to make tracked play mandatory across certain machines categories.
“We have proposed actions that will tackle both the risk of harm and provide solutions that are sustainable in the longer term.”
