UK Prepares Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals Review

By moreen

 

The UK government is in the process of preparing a review of fixed-odds betting terminals throughout the country’s betting shops. An official announcement of the review is expected to happen within the next two to three weeks.

The review is expected to be completed before the year’s end. It is predicted that the conclusion of the review will include a recommendation to significantly reduce the maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals. Currently, the maximum stakes that a person can place at these terminals is set at £100 per spin. The predictions are that this amount could be reduced to a mere £2 per spin. The number of terminals available throughout the country is also expected to be reduced following the conclusion of the government’s review.

News of this upcoming review is making headlines just before a new episode of BBC’s Panorama Investigative news program, titled “Why are Gambling Machines Addictive”, is scheduled to be released on September 12. The episode will investigate into the real lives of people who are addicted to gambling, especially through fixed-odds betting terminals. One woman even blamed the terminals for her demise in a suicide note.

Though fixed-odds betting terminals in the UK are taking a lot of negative heat lately, statistics gathered from surveys conducted by the UK Gambling Commission show that between 1999 and 2012, the rates of problem gambling had only risen 1%. Recently, these rates have been declining even though options for gambling have risen.