Punters lose £16m on slots
Crack down on bookies says MSP
People in Stirling area have lost £16 million on fixed-odds betting terminals since 2008, according to figures from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.
The release of the data this week prompted Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford to demand tougher action to curb what has been termed the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling.
Across Scotland, the machines have over the past nine years swallowed £1 billion of cash from hopefuls.
The Observer last year reported that punters wagered almost £60 million on casino-style slot machines in the Stirling area in 2015 and were left more than £2 million out of pocket.
Figures from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling show that people visiting the area’s 13 bookies staked more than £59 million on the fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) in 2015 and were £2,343,770 down overall.
The numbers relate to FOBT machines in six shops in Stirling city centre as well as bookies in Raploch, St Ninians, Bannockburn, Cowie and Callander. In Clackmannanshire £1,562,513 was lost by those using FOBTs in 10 shops, with almost £40 million staked on the machines in Tullibody, Alva, Tillicoultry, Sauchie and Alloa.
Mr Crawford explained that action to limit use of the machines was reserved to Westminster.
He wants the Conservative Government to limit numbers of machines allowed in betting shops, put a ceiling on stakes that can be bet, reduce the time that can be spent on the machines, and ban machines altogether if people continue to lose.
“These are incredibly concerning figures – and show that the Tory government cannot continue to ignore this issue that is having such a negative impact on our communities,” he added.
“The Tories have dug their heels on this issue for long enough – it is time for them to take action to help people across Stirling.”
A spokesperson for ABB Scotland, the bookies’ trade association, said: “Betting shops in Stirling employ around 60 people, many of whom would lose their jobs with the proposal by Mr Crawford to slash stakes on gaming machines in betting shops.
“The vast majority of people gamble responsibly and would be unfairly penalised by this action.
“Betting shops are committed to helping identify problem gamblers and ensuring that they get the help that they need and will continue to invest in industry leading responsible gambling measures.
“We are encouraged by the latest figures from the Gambling Commission which show problem gambling in the UK remaining static over the past 15 years, and actually falling in Scotland in 2015 to 0.7 per cent.
“It is worth noting that FOBTs account for only 13 per cent of gambling spend in the UK. Gamblers spend seven times more money on other forms of gambling. Targeting a single product, such as FOBTs, would do nothing to reduce problem gambling but would cause huge economic harm and force thousands of trained employees in Scotland out of work.”