Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals

[bainbrig]

Seems the government, after getting so many Brownie points a few months back when it announced a reduction in mandatory stake limits for fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 a time to £2, is back-tracking.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/01/fixed-odds-betting-terminals-cap-delay-urgent-question-tracey-crouch-minister

Now it’s not happening till next year sometime, or maybe 2020.

If at all?

[mushroom25]

there's an awfy lot of opposition to this.....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6337129/Tory-MP-Sarah-Wollaston-says-WONT-vote-Budget.html

[bainbrig]

Interesting mushroom, thanks.

[ToraToraTora]

no government can ever get this sort if thing right. Basically 50% of the public are idiots, 50% of the brighter ones are only morons. When your IQ struggles to beat your shoe size you are easy prey to the purveyors of gambling in whatever form. The people that play these machines are incapable of asking themselves the question: "why do they exist?" - because they make a huge profit. so why play them?? derr! Easy money gambling innit? So government can choose between being a nanny state or aiding the purveyors.

[gollob]

Then another part of the question is if you can win money off a bookmaker they will restrict you or ban you completely and there are quite a few smart people that can beat the bookmakers.
I am banned from Bet Victor, Bet Fred and restricted by Skybet (max £50) Ladbrokes/Corals (max £25)

[mushroom25]

…...and Tracey Crouch has indeed resigned.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46057548

[bainbrig]

Good for her. Always a surprise to find an ethical Tory.

[gulliver1]

" Now it's not happening till next year sometime , or maybe 2020 . If at all ? bit like Brexit then.

[mccfluff]

i'd need to look it up as i was killing myself on a step machine at the time, but on breakfast tv an explanation put forward was something along the lines that it would cost £120 mill to put in place for next april but if they leave it till october the gov can recoup this from the bookies (don't know the ins and outs or if its true etc, that was the gist of what i heard)
I don't understand why it will cost the gov £120 mil to implement?

[bainbrig]

Well, they've got to put in a different software chip that says £2, not £100.

Might cost... I don't know, maybe, pounds and pounds.

B

[mccfluff]

why can't they re-write the current software, and surely that should be the bookies cost?

[sunny-dave]

The Government takes a share of the profits from the filthy FOBT machines - it is reluctant to forgo this :

"The wait is to allow bookmakers and the gambling industry to adjust to the change, as well as helping Treasury coffers, with the lower stake expected to cost £1.15bn in reduced gaming duty over five years."

An end to austerity - paid for by bankrupting the poor addicts who are preyed upon by this vile industry.

[Ken4155]

As i do all my gambling on line, i haven't visited a bookies in ages. On one of my last visits i witnessed a shop manager punched because he pulled the plug on one of these machines after watching a young guy losing money, hand over fist, for about 15 mins. He advised the guy to stop. The guy refused. The shop manager asked him to leave and was ignored. So he pulled the plug and was punched. He may well have received further punishment had not half the guys in the shop forced his assailant to leave. Don't think that would have happened had he lost just a few quid.
Gollob; not hard to be banned by BetVic. Several years back i, too, was banned by them after going through a 'purple' patch where i was withdrawing on a regular basis, leaving enough in the account for a few more bets. No deposits were made and, though the total sum withdrawn wasn't much more than £1K, i was refused entry to the site. I phoned and was told my account was closed and all money transferred to my bank account. No explanation given and no redress available.

[sunny-dave]

I think the Gambling 'Industry' is summed up by gollob and Ken's experiences - it is happy to prey upon the weak/stupid/avaricious/feckless, but runs away and hides when anyone appears to have the ability (or luck) to use the odds in their own favour.

Ban the whole damn thing - and force ISPs and Credit Card Providers to restrict access to any offshore thieves too.

[Ken4155]

I totally agree with the cap being put at £2 per spin, but i think you're being far too harsh, sunny-dave. Believe it or not, there are far more 'sensible' punters out there than absolute addicts. Of course there are those with an addictive nature who always take things too far, and they should be helped. But, since the first betting shop opened in 1961, a 'weekly punt' has become the way of life for many. If we 'ban the whole damn thing', we will only be driving the industry 'underground' where bookies runners will be ferrying bets from customer to bookmaker, collecting in pubs and clubs and street corners.

[bainbrig]

sunny dave.

Can only agree, wholeheartedly.

The working classes can gamble all they like, as long as they lose.

The city barrow-boys can do the same, as when they f*** up, we pay the bills!

You really couldn’t write this stuff, could you?

[ToraToraTora]

ken, use betfair then you are only betting against other punters, so you'll never get banned no matter how well you do.