Bookies cashing in with faster roulette games

GAMBLERS using popu- lar roulette wheel- style games at betting shops can now get an instant result by choosing a ‘turbo’ option.

And in a move that campaigners claim preys on the vulnerable, high street giant Ladbrokes has also halved the length of time it takes for the electronic ‘ ball’ to come to a halt from 14 seconds to just seven.

The change comes days after bookmakers were forced to reduce the maximum stake on controversial fixed- odds betting terminals – branded ‘the crack cocaine of gambling’ – from £100 to just £2.

Gambling companies have been desperate to find new revenue streams after warning that shops will face heavy losses because of the new rules.

But the new generation of fixed- odds betting terminals, or FOBTs, allow players to bet faster. Ladbrokes introduced the changes a week ago, and a whistleblower told the BBC’s 5 Live Investigates programme it was ‘a ploy to get people betting more quickly’.

Gamblers playing Ladbrokes’ roulette game now have to wait just seven seconds for the ball to stop moving – and can choose a ‘ turbo’ option which gives an immediate result.

MP Carolyn Harris, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on FOBTs, told the programme: ‘They never fail to amaze me. They’re just evil.

‘They are prepared to go to any lengths to make money off the back of the vulnerable.’

The Gambling Commission last week threatened to investigate two other major betting firms, Betfred and Paddy Power, after they launched, and then withdrew, roulette-style games that let customers stake up to £500 every two minutes.

Matt Zarb- Cousin, spokesman for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, told the Daily Mail: ‘A low maximum stake will reduce the harm caused by machines in betting shops.

‘But the bookmakers attempting to find workarounds exemplifies why gambling products should be approved before they’re made available.’

Ladbrokes said: ‘Our roulette games were changed to meet the new requirements – a maximum stake of £2 and a minimum spin speed of 2.5 seconds. All of our games were changed and compliant from April 1.’

The Daily Mail has called for more regulation of FOBTs and betting ads during live sport.

A Gambling Commission spokesman said: ‘ We insist operators take precautions to combat gambling harm.’