No date set for slashing fixed-odd stakes

No date has been set for the introduction of a £2 stake limit on fixedodds betting terminals (FOBTs), Downing Street has said, amid reports that it may not come into force until April 2020.

The cut from a £100 maximum was announced in May, with the machines being described by Culture Secretary Matt Hancock as a “social blight”.

A newspaper reported that the drastically reduced cap would not come into effect for almost another two years, after a deal between bookmakers and the Treasury.

Shadow culture secretary Tom Watson said a delay would

“We also need to consider those working in the sector”

amount to “capitulation” by the government and would leave people “badly let down”.

Asked yesterday if a date had been set for the introduction of the limit on FOBT stakes, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “It hasn’t.

“We are committed to making sure that vulnerable people are protected, which is why we are introducing reduced stakes in the first place. But we also need to consider the thousands of people who are employed in the sector, so we are taking time to work with industry to ensure that there is enough time to implement all of the changes.

“We haven’t set out a timetable for that yet, but changes will need to be made through secondary legislation, so we need to make sure there is enough time for that process to take place.”

FOBTs, dubbed the “crack cocaine” of gambling, can currently lead to punters placing bets of up to £100 every 20 seconds.