£6.5m gambling shocker

controversial Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) within Renfrewshire’s 40 bookies.

Derek Mackay, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, last night described the losses as “obscene” and called for more regulations to save gambling addicts from crippling debts,

He said: “I am extremely concerned that over £6million was lost to FOBTs in Renfrewshire in a single year.

“When I was local government and planning minister I held a summit on the negative impact betting shops were having on communities.

“That work resulted in the legislation brought forward by the Scottish Government in December to give planning authorities more control over the number of betting shops on our High Streets.

“However, at present powers over gambling remains reserved to the UK Government, including the ability to cut the maximum stake on FOBTs from the current £ 100 per spin to a more sensible figure.”

He added: “Fixed odds betting terminals have become a familiar sight in betting shops across Renfrewshire. Tales of addiction and loss are not hard to find.

“With obscene losses on these machines mounting year on year, so is the harm to families and communities.”

A spokesman for the Campaign for Fa i rer Gambling said players often play with stakes that they cannot afford to lose.

He added: “FOBTs are highly- addictive. They inevitably lead to customers losing more than they can afford and losing control.”

The issue was recently raised in BBC One Jimmy McGovern drama Broken, which has a storyline devoted to gambling.

In the show, character Roz Demichelis has a crippling addiction to these types of gambling machines.