UK gambling regulator backpedals on £2 FOBT stake limit

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will no longer back a £2 limit on fixed-odd betting terminals (FOBTs) wagering levels. At least, not explicitly.

On Sunday, The Times reported that the gambling regulator is expected to recommend that UK ministers reject the initial proposal to enforce a £2 maximum stake—a huge drop from the current £100 per spin limit. Instead, the UKGC will endorse a maximum stake of £30 or less, and will also suggest “measures to combat the risk of harm,” according to the report.

The measures include prohibiting FOBT players from switching seamlessly between high-stakes games every 20 seconds and the so-called lower-stakes “quickfire” games; requiring bookmakers to track customer habits to identify problem gambling; and requiring the government to extend FOBT player protections to other machines.

Members of Parliament are expected to act on the UKGC guidance, although they can still opt for a £2 limit but only after taking into account the £500 million of tax revenues that the FOBTs contribute annually. The MPs had also been warned that too-low maximum stakes on FOBTs will result in more than 4,500 betting shops closing down, causing an estimated 21,000 people to be out of jobs by 2020.