We must not gamble with student welfare

There have been many headlines of late relating tales of woe associated with Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). The machines have proved to be irresistible for some gambling addicts, who have been known to lose thousands of pounds in a matter of mere minutes. Indeed, in 2016 it was reported that some 233,000 FOBT users had each lost more than £1000 in a single sitting. The statistics are worrying. Against such a troubling backdrop, the decision by the Dundee University Students’ Union (DUSA) to remove the controversial machines is welcome indeed.

Students can legitimately be seen as particularly vulnerable.

Many are finding their way in the world, having just left the parental home and living independently for the first time.

DUSA’s vice-president of student welfare Caroline Goodliffe is quite right to warn that students operate in an environment where “addictions can easily form”.

Whilst betting machines themselves are not to blame for creating addicts, they are certainly a significant temptation.

It is also worth noting that the decision to remove the machines was taken following representations from students themselves.

Dundee’s union may well have been the first to order the removal of FOBTs – it is unlikely to be the last.