Law change is a gamble

I oWN an independent betting shop in a market town and believe reducing the maximum bet on fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2 (Mail) will have no effect on gambling’s problems.

The real issue is online gambling, which can be addictive and is done in your own home, sat in the pub or anywhere you like on a smartphone. You can bet as much money as your debit or credit card will allow in one day.

In a betting shop, people tend to bet with cash rather than cards, so the sums are relatively small. The government has encouraged people into gambling and made it mainstream by introducing the National Lottery. I know my customers, their gambling habits and what they can afford.

But customers who are banned from a betting shop for their own good can bet online, where they are just a number. People rarely cash in their online betting wins and gamble it all away again.

on many occasions I’ve told customers to take the profit when they win on fixed-odds machines.

Betting shops are where local people can meet and talk about the racing and football over a cup of tea. They are happy places where the staff and customers enjoy banter.

The owners and people who work in betting shops are not ogres who wish to fleece the public of their last penny — we have a sense of social responsibility. New legislation will not make gambling’s problems go away, but will move them to a dark underworld. This will mean the loss of jobs in betting shops and more empty premises in the High Street.

RoBERt CoNNELL, Leominster, herefordshire. I aM delighted the government is reducing the maximum bet on fixed odds betting terminals.

gambling is a psychological illness that has blighted addicts and their families and has been a factor in marriage breakdowns, financial ruin and even suicide.

as a compulsive gambler, I know that these machines are addictive and betting shops use this to their advantage. The bookies are claiming there will be job losses if the maximum bet is reduced, but they need to recognise the damage done to communities.

GoRDoN KENNEDY, Perth.