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09 Apr 13
13:55
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http://hhgrahamjones.blogspot.co.uk
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
The highly controversial Fixed Odds Betting Terminals labelled the 'crack cocaine of gambling' by the Daily Mail have are being defended by the British Association of Bookmakers under the title, 'Back your Local Bookie'. These machines make huge profits for bookmakers.
The point is this; the case being put against FOBT is not a case per se against bookmakers. Most of the critics of FOBT's back their local bookmaker. This is a completely misleading campaign by the ABB. It would have been far more accurate to have called the campaign 'Back FOBT's in Bookmakers (they make huge profits)'.
A fun bet on the horses or football can be quite enjoyable. My predecessor Ken Hargreaves MP was liked a bet and whilst I cannot speak for him, I am sure he too would have had concerns about addictive/problem gambling and the wider impact it has on less wealthy families including children.
The campaign to bring to end these gambling machines as they currently stand is a powerful one. They take £100 per spin, the spin lasting as little as 20 seconds and the games on the machines are notorious for being highly addictive.
These machines were allowed by the last Labour Government in the 2005 Gambling Act.
I have written back to constituents making the following points;
Thank you for contacting me regarding Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) and the related campaign by the Association of British Bookmakers.
I appreciate there is a long history of betting shops in many communities around the country and I know that some high street bookmakers and the Association of British Bookmakers are concerned that any change to the maximum stakes and prizes of FOBTs could affect their livelihood.
As you know, the Government recently launched a consultation on the 2005 Gambling Act and the level of stakes and prizes for FOBTs. I know that this consultation - which closes on 9th April 2013 - will provoke strong opinions on both sides and that the Government has suggested that people should continue to be allowed to stake £100 per turn on FOBTs, with a maximum prize of £500.
I am concerned, however, that there is evidence that FOBTs are making a disproportionate amount of money from poorer households in areas with high deprivation, such as Hyndburn. I therefore think it is important that the Government look carefully at the maximum stakes, speed of play and how we can break up the continuous cycles of play that lead to large sums of money being lost in such a short space of time. The current consultation provides precisely such an opportunity and I will closely study the Government's response when it is published.
Additionally, this Government scrapped the Gambling Prevalence Survey, which was an independent means of assessing the state of problem gambling in the UK. Therefore we have lost the best and most objective means of knowing the scale of the problem, and instead rely on the arguments made by the industry and anti-gambling campaigners. As MP I have received a lot correspondence from those who have had their lives ruined by problem gambling, and from those who are concerned about how betting shops are now more common and more visible than ever before.
I understand that the Responsible Gambling Trust is due to undertake an 18-month study into this issue, which I hope will also add to the evidence base for future decisions.
I can assure you that I will continue to follow this issue closely and bear in mind the points you raise.
Thank you once again for contacting me.
Graham Jones MP
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
The highly controversial Fixed Odds Betting Terminals labelled the 'crack cocaine of gambling' by the Daily Mail have are being defended by the British Association of Bookmakers under the title, 'Back your Local Bookie'. These machines make huge profits for bookmakers.
The point is this; the case being put against FOBT is not a case per se against bookmakers. Most of the critics of FOBT's back their local bookmaker. This is a completely misleading campaign by the ABB. It would have been far more accurate to have called the campaign 'Back FOBT's in Bookmakers (they make huge profits)'.
A fun bet on the horses or football can be quite enjoyable. My predecessor Ken Hargreaves MP was liked a bet and whilst I cannot speak for him, I am sure he too would have had concerns about addictive/problem gambling and the wider impact it has on less wealthy families including children.
The campaign to bring to end these gambling machines as they currently stand is a powerful one. They take £100 per spin, the spin lasting as little as 20 seconds and the games on the machines are notorious for being highly addictive.
These machines were allowed by the last Labour Government in the 2005 Gambling Act.
I have written back to constituents making the following points;
Thank you for contacting me regarding Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) and the related campaign by the Association of British Bookmakers.
I appreciate there is a long history of betting shops in many communities around the country and I know that some high street bookmakers and the Association of British Bookmakers are concerned that any change to the maximum stakes and prizes of FOBTs could affect their livelihood.
As you know, the Government recently launched a consultation on the 2005 Gambling Act and the level of stakes and prizes for FOBTs. I know that this consultation - which closes on 9th April 2013 - will provoke strong opinions on both sides and that the Government has suggested that people should continue to be allowed to stake £100 per turn on FOBTs, with a maximum prize of £500.
I am concerned, however, that there is evidence that FOBTs are making a disproportionate amount of money from poorer households in areas with high deprivation, such as Hyndburn. I therefore think it is important that the Government look carefully at the maximum stakes, speed of play and how we can break up the continuous cycles of play that lead to large sums of money being lost in such a short space of time. The current consultation provides precisely such an opportunity and I will closely study the Government's response when it is published.
Additionally, this Government scrapped the Gambling Prevalence Survey, which was an independent means of assessing the state of problem gambling in the UK. Therefore we have lost the best and most objective means of knowing the scale of the problem, and instead rely on the arguments made by the industry and anti-gambling campaigners. As MP I have received a lot correspondence from those who have had their lives ruined by problem gambling, and from those who are concerned about how betting shops are now more common and more visible than ever before.
I understand that the Responsible Gambling Trust is due to undertake an 18-month study into this issue, which I hope will also add to the evidence base for future decisions.
I can assure you that I will continue to follow this issue closely and bear in mind the points you raise.
Thank you once again for contacting me.
Graham Jones MP
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More tosh,gives Anaglogs something to do.Has there been anything said by any Politician,or any newspaper article on this topic, that he hasn't rushed to his computer to post on here?
It's like saying the same thing over and over and over again. Anaglogs and his cohorts don't like FOBT's,so what! I couldn't care either way,but would laugh if there were no changes.Quickness of spins!?So what! Why not campaign for the abolition of greyhound and horserace sprints,after all they only last for 16 secs.,and under a minute respectively. Sorry,I have posted this before,it's catching!!! |
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It's like saying the same thing over and over and over again.
If only you could see the irony. |
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WFT
 very true sir |
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If the bookmakers wanted support to have all the managers and the fat cats but in stocks and have rotten
fruit thrown at them it would get a much greater response but alas those days have gone, but you can avoid those places like the plague if you use a little common sense  |
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They won't do anything about FOBT's because they are the only reason that the bookies bother to maintain their large estates. I susspect that there are not many betting shops that are profitable without them and, if the bookies pulled out of the High Street, there would be a shedload of empty shops depressing the commercial property market.
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WFT,shame you can't read.Or perhaps you can,but can't properly digest the content!
Irony!!??Certainly lost on you!! |
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WFT,shame you can't read.Or perhaps you can,but can't properly digest the content!
Irony!!??Certainly lost on you!! Many years ago, whilst still a schoolboy, we had a headmaster known for putting his foot in it. His best one was "Every time I open my mouth, some fool speaks". I see this can be equally applied to typing. |
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Why not campaign for the abolition of greyhound and horserace sprints,after all they only last for 16 secs.,and under a minute respectively
but there aren't 3 races a minute |
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And the relevance of this is?????
Remind me to tell the croupiers at my local casino to draw the cards out of the shoe more slowly,as players are winning,or losing, too quickly.Can you guess at the response? |
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rcing
09 Apr 13 14:49 Joined: 26 Jun 08 | Topic/replies: 2,081 | Blogger: rcing's blog Why not campaign for the abolition of greyhound and horserace sprints,after all they only last for 16 secs.,and under a minute respectively but there aren't 3 races a minute No need squire as the over control of the Industry in buying the B.A.G.S. tracks and the relentless AW to keep the casinos on the high streets open all hours has screwed up both games anyway but a nice little kick in there on something that the bookies reckon they own outright... |
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unbiased , you will not be budged on your view regardless of facts or statistics so what's the point in trying to have a discussion on the topic ?
i explained to you before how a professor of gambling stated that it was the type of games and frequency of play that can cause a problem ( and he was pro gambling ) , but you dismissed his statement , maybe you know more than him or have spent more years studying gambling , if so what does your studies suggest ? as to speed of play, i would guess that it puts the player into a "chase" mentality more so than if there were longer periods between spins , but i am only guessing . |
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Sorry rcing it was unbiased that posted that stupid remark and he must be an Industry tool
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Rcing I assume that you are also vehemently opposed to in running betting on here as well. The speed of play must be almost guaranteed to put the player into a chase mentality.
Perhaps the campaign should be extended to allow pre event betting only. That would make sense if the motivation was to help reduce problem gambling. |
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Disengenous banned banks. It is the speed of repeated play (allied with the stakes allowed) that present the specific danger with these machines. People are metaphorically turned into zombies when they play them. That I suspect is down to the design of the interface
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not really banks , when an fobt player loses he has a chance to chase losses 20 seconds later , its not the same with in running as races are usually run 10 minutes apart and you dont know if your in running bet wins until the finish ( unless you back a faller ) at which point it is to late to chase .
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Certainn sections of society have an addictive nature.That is the way it has always been,and that is the way it will always be.
There are far more important issues in life than trying to protect FOBT players,the proportion of which are addictive players NOBODY KNOWS,just totally baseless assumptions. It is hard to believe that this endless bleating about the machines is being posted on a gambling forum. As suggested several times by certain posters,and put down as nonsense by others,that restrictions on over the counter betting are only in existance because of the profits from the machines.Again,a baseless assumption. I can think of many far more important issues in life than the speed at which a roulette spin takes place.However,it appears not to be the case, judging by these threads,and their baseless assumptions. |
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bf-fanatic,with your over12,000 posts in under 2 years,have you not learnt that this is an anonymous forum,and your assumptions could be very wide of the mark.
When you reply to a poster,try to remember that you have no idea about their experience,position,or anything else about them.Don't assume you know! This is becoming as bad as the politics forum,where posters are regularly accused of being a Daily Mail reader. |
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the whole issue is that should firms based on the high street be tempting vulnerable persons with high stakes/high risk/fast spin games that they simply cant win and creates a massive upturn in addicted gamblers?
The answer clearly that something has too change unless you want machines to run riot with no legislation in which case lets get rid of speed limits and have cars run down high streets at 100mph! |
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unbiased , if all gambling is the same , why is there not more problem gamblers through lottery play as that form of gambling has the highest ammount of players , iyo ?
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Anarchy is the result of many things, not least a society with no laws or legislation
and although the bookmakers are happy to create human misery and fiscal carnage to vulnerable persons in cities and towns they will have to come to grips with the small but important changes that ministers will make to better the life of the average person living in the UK... after all its in their license agreement! |