Church demands action on ‘pernicious’ bet machines

Call to slash huge stakes on shop terminals that ‘cause misery’

CHURCH leaders are to call for a Government clampdown on controversial betting machines – described as the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’ – at its General Synod next week.

The Diocese of London has filed a motion to the Church of England’s Synod slamming the fixedodds betting terminals (FOBTs) as ‘a pernicious form of high street gambling … wholly lacking in any social benefit’ and ‘causing great harm and misery to thousands of people’.

The terminals, installed in betting shops across the country, have become a key revenue earner for bookies such as William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral, Paddy Power and Jenningsbet.

Intervention from the Church would mark a fresh challenge for the industry already on the defensive over the machines, which allow gamblers to play games such as roulette, poker and virtual racing.

The motion, which will be debated at the Synod on February 15, argues that the 35,000 FOBTs in Britain ‘are now the most profitable form of gambling and are causing significant problems’.

It calls on the Government to curb the huge stakes of up to £100 that can be gambled on the machines and suggests politicians have dragged their feet on the issue because of the taxes reaped by the Treasury.

The motion says: ‘It is hard to avoid the suspicion that the Government’s unwillingness thus far to take effective action to deal with an acknowledged problem may be connected to a concern about the loss of tax revenue which would result.’

The motion calls for a major cut in the stakes – to just £2 from the present £100.

It adds: ‘Since there is clear evidence that the ability to lose £100 a spin ruins lives and that the presence of FOBTs on the high street targeting the most vulnerable is a fundamental cause of a structural spiral of poverty in our society, it is time for us as part of God’s church to call on the Government to act now in the public interest.’

But a William Hill spokesman said: ‘The issue of problem gambling is complicated and there is no evidence that stake reductions help – in fact they could make the problem worse by driving gamblers to less protected environments or to more

volatile products.’ Gambling Commission figures show £1.7billion is lost by punters on FOBTs every year. They are more lucrative than traditional sports betting.

The motion also says there is strong evidence FOBTs are being used to launder money and are closely linked to the use of payday loans.

The reference harks back to the Church’s high-profile campaign against payday lenders for charging high interest rates and allegedly pushing vulnerable people into debt.