Today is the day the maximum stake for FOBT’s will be reduced from £100 to £2. It was declared that on Monday, 1st April 2019 the changes would be made in a bid to minimise spending by gamblers.
Fight Against Problem Gamblers
This is the result of a tiring and volatile political battle against FOBTs, which have been heavily cited as a key source of problem gambling in the UK.Research by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport into potential gambling behaviour changes under the new maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) suggests up to 10% of current users of the B2 gambling machines could quit gambling altogether. From that, It is believed FOBTs are accountable for around half of revenue generated by high-street bookmakers, with William Hill claiming up to 900 of their 2,300 UK outlets face closure as a direct result of the lost income expected from the curbed stakes. This is a huge loss for an established high street bookies.
High Street Bookies
It’s a mixed bag of emotions for bookmakers, some are warning of the threat of shops closing down along with redundancies. Whereas some are more welcoming of the change, seeing the new maximum stake to lead to less gambling-fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour.A cashier to a major high street bookmakers tweeted:“max £2 a spin and our bookies will be a safer place to work. No more gamblers threatening staff and smashing machines after losing their wages.”This is a true reflection into the everyday environment for many members of staff around the UK.The most recent statistics from the Gambling Commission, who supported the government in their quest to quell the threat of FOBTs to society, suggest Britain has over 33,000 B2 gaming machines, 191 of which are found in casinos with the rest placed in betting outlets.The next 12 months will reveal the true impact on the high street bookmakers, perhaps it won’t be as bad as predicted or the could be mass closures and jobs losses across the country.