The Scottish place the most bets in the UK according to a report by the UK Gambling Commission. The report found 68 percent of Scottish adults have gambled over the last 12 months compared with just 52 percent.
The report reviewed gambling in Scotland, Wales and nine regions in England and showed that 5 percent of adults in Scotland, Yorkshire and the east of England have used machines in bookmakers, while the average was only 3 percent according to a report at yogonet.com.
The numbers were quickly seized on by opponents of fixed odds betting terminals in the country that want to see maximum bets at the machines lowered from the current £100. Next month, the UK Government will publish a report on FOBTs.
Campaign for Fairer Gambling spokesman Matt Zarb-Cousin said the government should introduce new measures in order to reduce the increasing problem gambling rate.
“We now have over 200,000 problem or at risk gamblers in Scotland, including 43 percent of FOBT users,” Zarb-Cousin said in a press release. “At the least, the government must recommend a reduction in the maximum stake on FOBTs from £100 to £2 a spin.”
The drive to limit bets at FOBTs to £2 has been gaining steam ahead of the report as UK Chancellor Phillip Hammond has recently dropped his opposition to such a move, even though it could cost the UK million in lost tax revenue each year and bookmakers an estimated £200 a year. Prime Minister Teresa May is also thought to be in favor of reducing the maximum bet, according to UK reports.
The report is expected to make several recommendations for a maximum bet. The Financial Times reported that the report will include recommending the options of leaving the maximum as is, cutting it to £2 or a compromise figure of either £20 or £30.
