Airdrie and Coatbridge

Andrew Bargh

A reformed gambling addict from Coatbridge who has tirelessly campaigned against the use of fixed- odds betting terminals ( FOBTs) in betting shops has hailed recent legislation changes as a “great first step that will help a lot of people”.

Martin Paterson, 58, lost “thousands upon thousands” after becoming addicted to FOBTs in 2005.

Last October, the Townhead man told the Advertiser the true extent of his addiction, which Martin says “robbed me of precious time with loved ones”.

After his son Tony tragically died in 2014, the 58-year-old focused his energy on pushing through “vital changes” in the betting industry, and campaigned against laws which allowed punters to gamble as much as £300 every minute.

That figure was last week slashed by a whopping 98 per cent, meaning gamblers will soon only be able to risk a maximum of £2 every 20 seconds.

Although Martin hopes one day the use of FOBTs will be eradicated, he insists the reduction is a “fantastic move”.

He said: “This is a hidden addiction that bookies are profiting from and that’s why there’s such a strong opposition to them.

“I was expecting the maximum stake to be reduced to £20 so other campaigners and I are delighted it’s gone down to just £2. This is important for everyone who has campaigned as we’ve all been affected by it in our own lives.

“To realise the problems FOBTs can cause you need to dig deeper into the gambling industry; they’ve been able to cause so much injustice.

“I certainly wouldn’t have started playing them if the stake was this low and it’s been a long time coming; gamblers won’t get the same satisfaction as the chase isn’t quick enough.”

Martin added: “This is a great first step but hopefully the next one is getting rid of these terminals for once and for all.”

Figures from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling revealed an astonishing £90 million was spent on FOBTs throughout North Lanarkshire between 2008 and 2016, with more than £ 25m of it in Monklands.

In 2015-16 alone, local punters frittered away more than £4m on the machines, known as the “crack-cocaine of the betting industry”, which was almost one third of the North Lanarkshire total.

Despite the announcement of the new legislation, Martin says gamblers still need to be wary of losing large amounts of money.

He continued: “Bookies are like minicasinos these days; you walk in and the machines are the first thing you see.

“The addictive aspect is still there and gamblers will still be able to lose £20 or so in a matter of minutes.