Bishop in bet machine plea

A TOP bishop has piled pressure on ministers to tackle fixed-odds terminals, known as the crack cocaine of gambling.

Dr Alan Smith sought reassurances a report, due out this summer, will be published in the autumn.

Supporters of a crackdown hope the delay means action is imminent.

The Bishop of St Albans said the machines, where gamblers can lose £100 every 20 seconds, had a “devastating effect”.

He added: “It’s like hard drugs, it breaks families.”