Exeter City Council leader raises stakes on high street betting terminals

Exeter City Council leader Pete Edwards is urging the government to listen to local government and reduce the stakes on fixed odd betting terminals from £100 to £2.

Two years ago Exeter City Council, alongside 91 other local authorities from across the political spectrum, supported a Sustainable Communities Act to try to improve the situation.

The proposal called on the government to slash the maximum stakes on gaming machines found in high street betting shops from £100 a spin to £2, bringing them in line with other machines available in arcades, pubs and bingo halls.

In July last year the government rejected the a call to reduce the amount people can bet. Last December the Local Government Association, which represents 370 local authorities across England and Wales, urged government to reconsider.

Cllr Edwards said: “It is disappointing to councils up and down the country that the government has failed to heed this call and take action to protect our high streets that have become overrun with these terminals and betting shops.

“The Sustainable Communities Act was meant to enable local authorities like Exeter to influence government so that issues that prevent our area from flourishing are unblocked. But it has been more than 18 months since this proposal, the largest ever, was originally submitted and no action has been taken.

“Our residents have been blighted by these machines in betting shops for long enough, the government needs to take action now to support our local economies.”

This Sustainable Communities Act proposal is the first to go through this appeal process where the government is expected to come to a compromise with the LGA and Newham Council, the lead local authority. However the government has only attended one meeting with the organisations since the proposal was resubmitted and missed the six month deadline to come to a conclusion.

On Wednesday 27 July representatives from the Department for Local Government and Communities, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the LGA are due to meet again about the proposal.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham who are the leading the call for change, said: “The government has been dragging their heels ignoring the demand of 93 councils that something must be done about these lucrative, electronic casinos on our high streets.

“Our demand was, and still is, simple, reduce the stakes from £100 to £2, in line with other machines on the high street."

Betting shops are only able to have four FOBTs in each store, which include casino games like roulette, where £100 can be wagered every 20 seconds.

Change was spearheaded by Newham Council’s submission in November 2014 called for the government to use existing powers to review the stakes of these machines and bring betting shop FOBTs in line with gaming machines found in other high street venues like arcades and bingo halls. It was supported by 92 local authorities from across the country and political spectrum who represent 43 per cent of the population, as well as the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.

The government already has the power to reduce the stakes of FOBTs through the Triennial Review, a three yearly review of all gaming machine stakes as outlined in the Gambling Act 2005.

The last review took place in 2013, when the government promised that the next would be completed by the end of this year, however the government has so far failed to provide a timeline for the review.

More information about the terminals can be found here http://www.responsiblegamblingtrust.org.uk/media/1260/geofutures-seconda...