Slot capital’s a £35million loser
MPs demand £2 limit on stake to reduce devastating impact
Glasgow is the UK city worst-affected by high-stakes slot machines, a new report has revealed.
Addiction to fixed odds betting terminals ( FOBTs) costs the UK about £ 1.5billion in punters’ health issues, financial difficulties, relationship problems and crime, according to the study.
Glasgow tops the list, with gamblers’ use of FOBTs costing £ 35million a year in social harm, followed by Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.
Edinburgh is sixth with welfare costs of £17million. North and South Lanarkshire both have costs of £13million a year from punters’ addiction to FOBTs.
Dr Henrietta Bow den-Jones, consultant psychiatrist at the National Problem Gambling Clinic, explained how difficult it is for gamblers to avoid temptation.
She said: “Being able to make a bet every 20 seconds on a machine does feed into the vulnerability of people who may be either chasing losses, therefore wanting to take risks more frequently, or be more impulsive and therefore be attracted to the speed of play some games offer.
“However, our patients do not only gamble on FOBTs, they are also very attracted to sports betting and online roulette.
“Gambling addiction destroys the lives not only of the people who suffer from this illness but of their spouses and children.
“Homes are lost, families are broken, children are moved from one temporary accommodation to another and their mental stability, as well as their future, suffers.
“Many of our patients have parents who were problem gamblers. This cycle needs to be stopped.”
The machines allow players to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds on computer versions of games such as roulette, poker and blackjack.
But the UK Government are considering capping the maximum stake at between £50 and £2, with a 12-week consultation due to end on January 23.
The report claimed the loss to bookies from cutting the maximum stake on FOBTs to £2 a spin could be half as much as the UK Government predicted.
It also said the cut could lead to £335million less being bet on them, instead of £639million suggested by the Government.
The findings reported that the amount could be offset by a reduction in the impact on welfare services, work and housing issues and crime.
Inverclyde SNP MP Ronnie Cowan, vice-chairman of all-party parliamentary group on FOBTs, said: “This report highl ights how problem gambling has a detrimental impact on the welfare off problem gamblers and onn their immediate and widerr social networks.
“It’s estimated that hundredsds of people in Inverclyde haveve lost jobs due to their gamblingng addiction and the money they’vey’ve spent on FOBTs.”
Colleague David Linden, MP for Glasgow East, added: “Most people here are on averagerage salaries, so anyone on £22,00000 or
£23,000 a year is really not in a position to go into a bookies and chuck away £300 or £ 400 on a Friday afternoon.
“People are having to go to food banks because of FOBTs.
“They can also lead to relationships breaking down, people turning to drink and ultimately suicide.
“There are situations that can be avoided and the harm caused by FOBTs
is something the Government can fix by reducing the stake to £2.”
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling echoed Linden’s claims on the £2 limit, saying it is “the most effective measure to reduce gambling-related harm”.
A spokesman said: “Bookmakers know that the unemployed and those on low incomes are more likely to use FOBTs and are more predisposed to harm. FOBTs are the most addictive form of gambling. Two in five users get addicted or are at risk and problem gamblers lose more on FOBTs than several leading gambling activities combined.
“Every problem gambler affects up to 12 others. There are more betting shops in Glasgow than any other town or city in the UK.”
The figures are contained in a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research and commissioned by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA).
But the Association of Brit ish Bookmakers said: “FOBTs account for just 13 per cent of gambling spend but help support over 52,000 jobs across the UK, including 5000 in Scotland.
“Those who call for a curb on bookies need to explain where the alternative jobs and tax revenues are going to come from.”
Last year, the Mail revealed how a Scotland international footballer had taken the extraordinary step of banning himself from a chain of bookies because of an addiction to FOBTs. In December, f ilmmaker Jimmy McGovern told the Mail that FOBTs are destroying people’s lives. McGovern, who wrote a BBC drama called Broken in which the daughter of a gambling addict smashes up high-stakes slot machines with a sledgehammer, wants them banned from the high street. BACTA chief executive John White said: “Reducing the maximum stake to £ 2 a spin is not going to solve problem gambling. “What you are looking to do is reduce the amount of harm that people come to. With FOBTs, you can lose a huge amount of money very quickly. “I find it quite shocking that there were nearly a quarter of a million FOBT sessions last year that resulted in people losing more than £1000. “I scratch my head at how we, as a society, have allowed that to happen.”
Every problem gambler affects up to 12 other people