Over 70 cross-party MPs support April 2019 FOBT implementation date

PRESS RELEASE
MONDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2018

A cross-party group of MPs, will today (12 November) table a new clause and a sequence of amendments to the Finance Bill to bring forward the implementation date for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) to April 2019.

This follows the announcement last month that the Government intends to implement the £2 stake maximum stake on FOBTs by October 2019.

The campaign, led by FOBT APPG members Iain Duncan Smith MP, Carolyn Harris MP, and Ronnie Cowan MP, has significant support across Parliament with over 70 signatories including 25 Conservatives and 4 DUP MPs.

The new clause seeks to force the government to undertake a review looking at the feasibility of bringing forward the date of the introduction of the increase in Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) to April 2019.. At present RGD is due to go up in October 2019 and the stake cut on FOBTs will be made at the same time, as announced in the Budget.

The MPs will also lay amendments which directly seeks to bring forward the FOBT stake cut from £100 to £2 to April 2019, later today.

Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP said:
“These proposed amendments to the Finance Bill show the sheer strength of feeling in Parliament on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals. I hope the Government now sees sense and does the right thing by bringing the FOBT stake cut date forward to April 2019. Any later than this would be an abdication of our responsibility to ensure we protect the most vulnerable in our society”

Carolyn Harris MP and Chair of the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals All Party Parliamentary Group said:

“Enough is enough, MPs on all sides of the House are calling on the Government to see sense and bring forward the stake cut for FOBTs to April 2019. The Government’s position is indefensible. They can either accept our amendments or expect to be defeated in the Finance Bill next week. It is a great shame for all concerned that it has come to this.”

Further information on the All Party Group can be found at www.fobt-appg.com

Notes to Editors
1. The Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) All Party Parliamentary Group has been created to provide a forum for discussion and further investigation into the impact of FOBTs in our communities. This group, powered by the passion of the members in both houses of Parliament on this issue, allows a coordinated effort among politicians of all political parties, to come together to discuss how best to address the issues that FOBTs are causing to our communities.

2. The MPs will table the following new clause:

Review of remote gambling duty

(1) The Treasury shall undertake a review of the increase in the rate of remote gambling duty introduced in section (Remote gambling duty (rate)) of this Act.
(2) The review shall consider, in particular, the effects of the rate increase on—
(a) the public revenue,
(b) betting shops, and
(c) gambling related harm.
(3) The Treasury review must include independent advice on the feasibility and impact of bringing forward the date of the increase in remote gaming duty to 1 April 2019.
(4) The Treasury review of the effects of the rate increase in remote gambling duty under subsections (2) and (3) must also take into account any effects of reducing to £2 the maximum stake on B2 machine games with effect from 1 April 2019.
(5) The Chancellor of the Exchequer must lay a copy of a report of the review under
this section before the House of Commons no later than 28 days after this Act is passed.”

The full list of signatories to the new clause :
o Carolyn Harris MP
o Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP
o Ronnie Cowan MP
o Marcus Fysh MP
o David Jones MP
o Heidi Allen MP
o Priti Patel MP
o Sarah Wollaston MP
o Timothy Loughton MP
o Jacob Rees-Mogg MP
o Tracey Crouch MP
o David Davis MP
o Steve Baker MP
o Charlie Elphike MP
o Andrew Selous MP
o Robert Seely MBE MP
o Johnny Mercer MP
o Justine Greening MP
o Richard Bacon MP
o Stephen Kerr MP
o Michael Fallon MP
o Nicky Morgan MP
o Boris Johnson MP
o Adam Holloway MP
o Zac Goldsmith MP
o Ian Murray MP
o Jo Stevens MP
o Stephen Timms MP
o Judith Cummins MP
o Susan Elan Jones MP
o Martin Whitfield MP
o Clive Efford MP
o Graham Jones MP
o Wes Streeting MP
o Ruth Cadbury MP
o Jenny Chapman MP
o Tonia Antoniazzi MP
o Stephen Doughty MP
o Gareth Snell MP
o Stella Creasy MP
o Diane Johnson MP
o Tulip Siddiq MP
o Chris Bryant MP
o Helen Hayes MP
o Madeline Moon MP
o Stephen Kinnock MP
o Louise Haigh MP
o Dan Jarvis MP
o Jim Shannon MP
o Jefferey Donaldson
o David Simpson
o Gregory Campbell
o Stuart McDonald MP
o Drew Hendry MP
o John McNally MP
o Alison Thewliss MP
o Marion Fellows MP
o David Lindon MP
o Gavin Newlands MP
o Alan Brown MP
o Patricia Gibson MP
o Lisa Cameron MP
o Brendan O’Hara MP
o Angus Brendan MacNeil MP
o Douglas Chapman MP
o Martyn Day MP
o Neil Gray MP
o Tommy Sheppard MP
o Martin Docherty-Hughes MP
o Kirsty Blackman MP
o Stephen Gethins MP
o Chris Stephens MP
o Chris Law MP
o Hannah Bardell MP
o Christine Jardine MP
o Jonathan Edwards MP
o Liz Saville Roberts MP
o Catherine West MP

3. The MPs will table the following sequence of amendments to the Finance Bill:

Amendments

o Clause 61, page 44, line 23, leave out “1 October 2019” and insert “the prescribed date”.
o Clause 61, page 44, line 25, leave out “1 October 2019” and insert “the prescribed date”.
o Clause 61, page 44, line 32, at end insert-
“(4) In this section, “the prescribed date” means the date prescribed in regulations made by statutory instrument by the Secretary of State
(5) The Secretary of State may not make regulations under subsection (4)—
o to prescribe a date before 1 October 2019, and
o unless regulations under section 236 of the Gambling Act 2005 have been made that amend the definition of sub-category B2 gaming machines so as to define such machines as having a maximum charge for use of no more than £2 with effect from a date no later than 1 April 2019.
 (6) In this section, “sub-category B2 gaming machines” has the meaning given in regulation 5(5) of the Categories of Gaming Machine Regulations 2007/2158.”

The full list of signatories to the amendments:
o Carolyn Harris MP
o Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP
o Ronnie Cowan MP
o David Jones MP
o Johnny Mercer MP
o Andrew Selous MP
o Priti Patel MP
o Marcus Fysh MP
o Heidi Allen MP
o Tim Loughton MP
o Charlie Elphike MP
o Stephen Kerr MP
o Steve Baker MP
o Tracey Crouch MP
o Jacob Rees Mogg MP
o Boris Johnson MP
o Richard Bacon MP
o Justine Greening MP
o David Davis MP
o Zac Goldsmith MP
o Sarah Wollaston MP
o Nicky Morgan MP
o Robert Seeley MP
o Ian Murray MP
o Jo Stevens MP
o Stephen Timms MP
o Judith Cummins MP
o Susan Elan Jones MP
o Martin Whitfield MP
o Clive Efford MP
o Graham Jones MP
o Wes Streeting MP
o Ruth Cadbury MP
o Jenny Chapman MP
o Tonia Antoniazzi MP
o Stephen Doughty MP
o Gareth Snell MP
o Stella Creasy MP
o Diane Johnson MP
o Tulip Siddiq MP
o Chris Bryant MP
o Helen Hayes MP
o Madeline Moon MP
o Stephen Kinnock MP
o Louise Haigh MP
o Dan Jarvis MP
o Jim Shannon MP
o Jefferey Donaldson
o David Simpson
o Gregory Campbell
o Stuart McDonald MP
o Drew Hendry MP
o John McNally MP
o Alison Thewliss MP
o Marion Fellows MP
o David Lindon MP
o Gavin Newlands MP
o Alan Brown MP
o Patricia Gibson MP
o Lisa Cameron MP
o Brendan O’Hara MP
o Angus Brendan MacNeil MP
o Douglas Chapman MP
o Martyn Day MP
o Neil Gray MP
o Tommy Sheppard MP
o Martin Docherty-Hughes MP
o Kirsty Blackman MP
o Stephen Gethins MP
o Chris Stephens MP
o Chris Law MP
o Hannah Bardell MP
o Christine Jardine MP
o Jonathan Edwards MP
o Liz Saville Roberts MP
o Catherine West MP

4. For more information, please contact Carolyn Harris MP, the Chair of the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals All Party Parliamentary Group or the secretariat for the Group: Katherine.morgan@interelgroup.com 07973884797