The British Amusement Catering Trade Association has entered the debate about what level maximum bets on fixed odds betting terminal in the UK should be set at saying the impact on UK bookmakers will be substantially less than is being projected.
Members of the association met with former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith to present a new report on the economic impact on bookmakers arising from a proposed reduction in FOBT maximum stake to £2, according to a report at TotallyGaming.com.
The association’s president, Gabi Stergides, and chief executive, John White, attended the meeting with Oliver Hogan, head economist at the Centre for Economics and Business research (CEBR), which conducted the latest analysis, the report said.
The new research predicts that a £2 maximum would cost bookmakers about £335 million a year, about 47 percent less than the £639m projected by the government in its initial impact assessment on FOBT stakes.
White told UK media that the meeting served to reinforce the association’s support for a reduction in FOBT stakes.
The UK is planning a reduction in the maximum FOBT wager limit and is now in a public comment phase on the final amount. Problem gambling advocates are pushing for £2, the lowest amount being considered.
White said Woodford Green is “well on board and very active in the campaign to achieve a £2 stake.”
“He is one of hundreds of politicians that we’re seeing on a weekly basis and the message we’re getting is that there’s widespread support for a reduction in stake,” White said, according to TotallyGaming.com.
