{"id":101946,"date":"2019-04-02T09:24:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T16:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=101946"},"modified":"2019-04-02T09:24:24","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T16:24:24","slug":"uk-bookies-introduce-games-to-combat-reforms-to-fobts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-bookies-introduce-games-to-combat-reforms-to-fobts\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Bookies Introduce \u2018Over-the-Counter\u2019 Roulette-Style Games to Combat Reforms to FOBTs"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the day the UK betting industry was finally forced to swallow a drastic cap<\/a> on the maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), several new games appeared in bookmakers shops up and down the country — which one politician branded \u201cFOBTs by the back door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FOBTs\"
UK media has reacted with predictable outrage over new games from bookmakers, like Betfred\u2019s \u201cVirtual Cycling,\u201d but these games involve spins every three minutes — rather than every 20 seconds — and appear to be compliant with the new rules regarding FOBTs. (Image: Association of British Bookmakers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week the UK Gaming Commission wrote to operators<\/a> warning them not to try to bypass the reforms to FOBTs — which came into force on Monday — with alternative games that could be played for high-stakes.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the media accused them of doing just that. New products appeared overnight in bookmakers\u2019 shops that offer roulette-style games — not through video terminals but via betting slips and TV screens.<\/p>\n

Bookies have warned that cutting maximum stakes on FOBTs from \u00a3100 ($130) to \u00a32 ($2.60) will decimate the retail betting industry and said it will have to find new strategies to keep it going.<\/p>\n

Gambling at a Slower Pace\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Betfred has launched a game called Virtual Cycling, which allows bettors to select numbers on a betting slip with a graphic laid out similar to the design of a roulette table. The numbers correspond to sections of an animated cycling track on a TV screen, with virtual cyclists taking the place of the roulette ball.<\/p>\n

The Guardian<\/em> points out that the maximum stakes on this game are \u00a3500\u00a0($652) — \u201cfive times what was possible on FOBT games that are now banned\u201d — although FOBTs allowed gamblers to potentially lose \u00a3100 every 20 seconds. This game is much slower.<\/p>\n

\n

Paddy Power\u2019s version is \u201cPick \u2018n\u2019 36\u201d — which also involves betting slips and a roulette-style game. The maximum stake is \u00a3100 and the wheel spins every three minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c<\/em>We are aware of these products and we are investigating,\u201d said a spokesperson for the UK Gambling Commission. \u201cWe have been extremely clear about our expectations in relation to how operators should implement the stake reduction \u2026 Where we see businesses failing to act responsibly in response to the stake reduction we will not hesitate to step in.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Bookmakers: New Games Compliant<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But spokespeople for betting operators said that the \u201cover-the-counter\u201d games were fully compliant with the new rules, which relate solely to betting via gambling terminals. The games involve filling in a betting slip, as you would do if you were betting on a horse or on the outcome of a sporting event.<\/p>\n

\u201cBets for all these products need to be filled out on a betting slip and handed over at the counter, where our staff can interact with the customers as they do so,\u201d a representative for Betfred told The Guardian<\/em>. \u201cThese are not machine games but over-the-counter bets.\u201d<\/p>\n

William Hill, which is trialling a similar game called \u201cWonderball,\u201d said the company was committed to player protection and that all new products \u201cwill only be launched after full engagement with the regulator.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the day the UK betting industry was finally forced to swallow a drastic cap on the maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), several new games appeared in bookmakers shops up and down the country — which one politician branded \u201cFOBTs by the back door.\u201d Last week the UK Gaming Commission wrote to operators […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":101951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,33810,13592,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUK Bookies Introduce Games to Combat Reforms to FOBTs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UK betting industry unveil new \u2018over the counter\u2019 gambling games that seek to offset loses from the cut in FOBT stakes, but do they comply with the new rules?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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