VICTORY PM backs campaign to crack down on high-stakes gambling machines
CASIN
THERESA May has ordered a crackdown on high-stakes gambling machines in a major victory for the Sunday People.
The Prime Minister stepped in after predecessor David Cameron last year blocked action against fixed odds betting terminals – which are dubbed the crack cocaine of gambling because they are so addictive.
Mrs May has now cleared the way for a review after the Sunday People led the way with its campaign to curb the casino-style machines.
We are demanding a £2 maximum stake on the units, which at present can swallow up to £100 every 20 seconds.
And we also want the number of machines allowed in bookies cut from four to one.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch was furious when a similar review she had planned was shelved by No10 last year.
She told the Sunday People: “I’m thrilled we’ve got to the point where social responsibility is now at the heart of the Government’s programme.
“We can now get on with looking at these machines properly.”
And Adrian Parkinson, of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, added: “For six years, David Cameron buried his head in the sand over FOBTs. He promised to take a proper look at them but failed to deliver anything meaningful. “Now, these highly addictive machines are going to be scrutinised like never before and the charade is over for the bookmakers.” The link between FOBTs, problem gambling,ling, crime, anti- social behaviour, our, violence and money laundering ering will all come under the spotlighttlight in the review. The 35,000 machineses that are currently on high streets rake in £1.7billion a year for bookmakers – and MPsPs have accused the industrytry of deliberately clusteringng the terminals in poorer areas.eas. Average losses in Labourabour IT’S three cheers for superstar Andy Lewis, who struck gold in the Para-triathlon in Rio yesterday.
Andy, 33, secured Britain’s 13th gold of the Games winning the event comprising of cycling, swimming and running.
He lost a leg at 16 after being hit by a truck, ending his dream of joining the army. But the dad of two, from Gloucester, wowed the world, finishing in under one hour 12 minutes – 41 seconds ahead of the competition. He said: “It brings tears to my eyes that I can tell my kids I won gold.”
Sabrina Fortune, 19, also showed learning difficulties do not have to hold you back, becoming the first Welsh athlete to win a Rio Paralympic medal, with a bronze in the shot put. constituencies were £3million compared with £2million in Tory areas.
GamCare, a charity that helps people with gambling problems, has had a 20 per cent increase in calls to its helpline over the past five years.
Drug smugglers and criminals have also used FOBTs to launder dirty money, feeding in notes sprayed with
dye to get clean o ones out.