Glasgow is losing more to fixed-odds betting terminals than any other council area in the country, according to research.
The machines, dubbed the crack cocaine of gambling, are costing Scotland’s largest city £27 million a year in lost money, health expenses and job problems associated with addiction to the terminals.
Read the full story in The Times.
Addictive high street betting machines hit the poorest hardest and have hooked 120,000 users, research reveals today.
Experts say the cost of problem gambling on fixed-odds betting terminals has soared above £10million in the most deprived areas.
Read the full story in The Sun.
More than 120,000 users of ‘crack cocaine’ betting machines could be classed as problem gamblers, a report has found.
The toll is exposed in a report by economists, who conclude that gambling on fixed-odds betting terminals is hitting the poorest parts of the country the hardest.
Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Gamblers in Scotland lost more than £1billion on controversial high stakes slot machines in less than a decade.
The figure revealed by the Sunday Mail today comes in the wake of Theresa May’s promise to cut the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals.
Read the full story in The Scottish Daily Record.
Theresa May has confirmed for the first time that the maximum stake for ‘crack cocaine’ gambling machines will be cut.
There were reports at the weekend that ministers planned to cut the maximum bet on fixed odds betting terminals from £100 down to as low as £2.
Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling writes about the likely next steps on FOBT stake levels following the closure of the government’s consultation. (more…)
Childhood is a time for fun activities, freedom and for learning about the world – and increasingly, it seems, it’s a time to make a quick buck online, too.
The bleak truth is that Britain’s hugely successful gambling industry, which sits like a parasite leeching money and hope out of the country’s poorest communities, is ensnaring more and more youngsters in its net.
Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
The maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals – the high-street gaming machines dubbed the “crack cocaine” of gambling – “will be cut”, Theresa May said today.
Speaking at prime minister’s questions, she signaled that the £100 maximum bet would be reduced following a public consultation, which ended on Tuesday.
Read the full story in The Times.
UK bookmakers have seen their shares fall sharply after a report suggesting the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals could be slashed.
Ministers are likely to cut the stake from £100 to £2 after a consultation closes, according to the Sunday Times.
Read the full story on BBC News.
With a government consultation ending on Tuesday, The Guardian hears from those most affected by FOBTs.
Martin Paterson knows just how dangerous compulsive gambling can be. As a former FOBT addict he “ended up going crazy” using the machines.
Read the full story in The Guardian.