Fixed Odds Betting Terminals | Westminster Hall debate

We are calling for the Government to deliver on its commitment to hold a triennial review of machine stakes.


Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, Westminster Hall debate Tuesday 26 April 2016

Key messages

The LGA supports the reduction of maximum stakes for B2 gaming machines (Fixed Odds Betting Terminals/ FOBTs), to align them with maximum stakes for other types of machines freely available on high streets. The maximum stake for FOBTs (category B2 gaming machines) is £100, while the maximum stake for other types of machines allowed on high streets (category B3-D) is just £2.

We are calling for the Government to deliver on its commitment to hold a triennial review of machine stakes. At the last review of stakes in 2013, the Government committed to complete the next review by 2016.

The LGA is also calling for amendments to the Gambling Act to align it with other licensing legislation. A statutory cumulative impact test would enable councils to reject applications for new betting shops near existing clusters of shops, and a licensing objective to prevent public nuisance would help councils take anti-social behaviour issues linked to betting shops into account as part of the licensing process.