Bookies share slip

SHARES in Britain’s bookies tumbled yesterday after MPs called for a clampdown on socalled ‘crack-cocaine’ betting machines, which allow punters to lose hundred of pounds a minute.

The all-party Parliamentary group on fixedodds betting terminals said the maximum a punter can stake on a single spin should be cut from £100 to £2 in order to tackle problem gambling.

These high-stake machines let punters bet every 20 seconds, meaning losses can reach £300 a minute.

William Hill shares fell 6pc, or 18.8p, to 292.7p, while rival Ladbrokes Coral was off 2.7pc, or 3.5p, at 123.6p.