Tory revolt over plans to go soft on ‘crack cocaine’ bet terminals

TOry rebels are threatening to scupper plans by ministers to go soft on ‘crack cocaine’ gambling machines, the Daily Mail understands.

Ministers will announce within weeks a cut to the £100 maximum stake on controversial fixed odds betting terminals.

But Conservative Mps are warning that any attempt to set it higher than £5 would be defeated in the Commons.

The vote could be tipped by Northern irish DUp Mps, on whom Theresa May relies for her majority. labour and the liberal Democrats have also backed calls for the stake to be reduced to £2.

The issue is currently the subject of Whitehall wrangling between Culture Secretary Matt hancock, who has described the machines as a ‘social blight’, and Chancellor philip hammond.

last year the Treasury raked in nearly £500million from the machines – so addictive they are compared to crack cocaine.

last night Tory Mp Sir peter Bottomley said: ‘These machines are ripping large amounts of money off poor people.

‘My expectation is that the Government will come forward with £2 or £5 and there will be no opposition. if they propose £10 or £20 i think it will fail to get through.’

One DUp source said if the Government attempted to set the maximum stake at £20, ‘they may as well not bother’. A Whitehall source said ministers were ‘fully aware’ of the potential for a rebellion.

A review by the Gambling Commission last month endorsed setting the stake as high as £30, sparking fury from campaigners. They say the lowest possible stake is needed to combat rising addiction, debt, violence and family breakdown.

There are now about 35,000 FOBTs in Britain and £1.7billion is lost on them every year. Currently they allow bets of up to £100 every 20 seconds – in theory, £18,000 an hour. The explosion in FOBTs followed labour’s 2005 Gambling Act.

A report last month suggested the damage done by FOBTs costs taxpayers up to £210million a year for services including the NhS, police and housing agencies.