In response to stories in the media that the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) is set to be cut to £2, Carolyn Harris MP has commented:
“I very much welcome reports in the press today that the Government looks set to finally see sense and reduce the stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals to £2.
This is something that I have personally championed, along with others in Parliament, for over two and a half years.
The Government has for far too long ignored the many harms being caused by these machines.
A reduction in the stake to £2 would not just be a victory for common sense. It would be a victory for the thousands of people whose lives are blighted daily by these toxic machines.
With over 25 of my colleagues in Parliament, faith groups, local government and community groups, I have written to the Prime Minister demanding action. We say that the Government must not waver in helping the vulnerable. It must not row back on its commitment to take action on FOBTs. It must not bend to the power of the bookmaker lobby. The health and wellbeing of our country is at issue. The Government must reduce the stake on FOBTs to £2 and do so immediately.”
Notes to Editors
1. Carolyn Harris MP is the Member of Parliament for Swansea East. She is the Chair of the All Party Group on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, a Group she founded in 2016.
2. The FOBT APPG has undertaken two inquiries into FOBTs and written to the Prime Minster imploring her to act on these machines.
3. For further inquiries please contact the secretariat of the Group Katherine.Morgan@interelgroup.com 07973 884797