Bookies Urged to Follow Ladbrokes’ Lead in FOBT Fight in NI

Belfast City Council is set to issue a plea with bookmakers to follow Ladbrokes’ lead in relation to fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in Northern Ireland.

In November 2018 and after much debate, the UK Government confirmed a new maximum stake of £2 on FOBTs would be implemented as of April 2019, down from £100 per stake in a bid to tackle problem gambling.

However, the legislation change does not apply in Northern Ireland as the Gambling Act 2005 only caters for England, Scotland and Wales.

Yet Ladbrokes, who have over 60 betting shops across Northern Ireland, have taken it upon themselves to voluntarily impose the £2 maximum stake on all of their FOBTs as of April, despite not being legally obliged to in Northern Ireland, where gambling is governed by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.

Belfast City Council are set to discus the social issue on Monday as a motion calls upon other bookmakers to mimic Ladbrokes whilst highlighting the need for better support for those suffering from gambling addiction.

"This council notes the enormous damage which gambling addiction can cause in the lives of individuals, families and communities," reads the motion, proposed by Dr John Kyle.

"The council calls on betting companies operating in Northern Ireland to follow the decision of Ladbrokes to voluntarily reduce the stakes on FOBT machines in this jurisdiction, in line with the rest of the UK.

NI Needs To Address Addiction

"The council also calls on the Department of Health to review the support given to individuals suffering from gambling addiction and calls for the creation of a dedicated service to address this addiction.

"The council will ask the Department of Health and Department for Communities to meet with an all-party delegation to discuss support for individuals suffering from gambling addiction and the status of FOBTs."

Fellow major bookmakers William Hill and Paddy Power both have dozens of outlets across Northern Ireland, while there is also an array of independent operators actively offering FOBTs, which are land-based electronic gaming machines whereby the punter gambles on a virtual outcome at fixed odds.

To Paddy Power’s credit, though, the Irish bookmaking giant did have a helping hand in bringing the new £2 maximum stake start date forward to April 2019, rather than the original date of October 2019, after contacting parliament to issue caution over a ‘dubious’ report upon which they had been relying.

Under the £100 maximum stake conditions, FOBTs had been generating around £1.8bn a year for the betting industry, worth around £400m in taxes for the UK Government. They intend to recover the lost taxes through Remote Gaming Duty, which has been increased to 21%.

Per the Belfast Telegraph, problem gambling in Northern Ireland is four times higher than it is in England, at a rate of 2.3%, according to a May 2017 study by the Department for Communities.

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