The UK's chancellor Phillip Hammond has confirmed government plans to crack down on controversial gambling machines that can see customers losing £18,000 in one hour. Hammond signaled the move to the Bishop of St Albans, who has led the Church of England's campaign for a review of the machines.
Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) take about £1.8bn in a year through their high stakes settings that allow bets of up to £100 every 20 seconds. Critics have called them the 'crack cocaine of gambling' and figures like Rt Rev Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, have campaigned for a £2 cap on the stakes for the machines. Others have warned about the damage that limiting the machines could have on the British economy, costing thousands of jobs and losing £400 million in state tax revenues.
A government review of the issue was thought to have been shelved, but a letter from chancellor Philip Hammond to Bishop Smith has suggested the Treasury supports a review, according to The Times.
Smith had previously urged Hammond to publish the review 'without undue delay'. He has warned of the devastating effects of gambling, including crippling debt, violent crime and suicide.
Smith told Christian Today in August: 'The government has a duty to protect people to regulate this highly addictive form of gambling...If the government is not willing to regulate this, I think there will be many people who will wonder if that is being driven by financial concerns from the Treasury.'
The Church of England has been at the head of the campaign against FOBTs. In February its ruling General Synod made the unusual move of unanimously urging the government to reduce both their proliferation and their £100 top wager.
