{"id":73438,"date":"2018-03-21T17:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T00:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=73438"},"modified":"2018-03-21T13:36:48","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T20:36:48","slug":"uk-government-faces-party-revolt-over-fobt-max-stakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-government-faces-party-revolt-over-fobt-max-stakes\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Government Faces Party Revolt Over FOBT Max Stakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s governing Conservative Party could face open rebellion from within its own ranks if it fails to reduce the maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals<\/a>, the controversial betting shop machines that currently allow customers to bet up to $100 every 20 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"Sir
Sir Peter Bottomley MP says that Tory rebels and opposition MPs would vote down any legislation that proposed anything but a stakes reduction to \u00a32 on FOBTs. (Image: The Argus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The warning comes from Sir Peter Bottomley MP, who told The Evening Standard<\/em>\u00a0that the government would face\u00a0 defeat on the issue if it opted for anything other than the most extreme reduction of max stakes.<\/p>\n

\n

Bottomley said he was prepared to introduce a motion in the House of Commons that would allow opposition parties to join Conservative rebels to vote down any such legislation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Last year there were reports of a rift between the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), which has overseen a review into the machines, and Chancellor Philip Hammond, who is eager to protect the \u00a3500 million in tax revenues the machines generate.<\/p>\n

Despite Hammond\u2019s assurances that he would support the outcome of the review, the Evening Standard\u2019s<\/em> sources in Westminster suggest he still reluctant to back down.<\/p>\n

Too Much Money Lost<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe money that the Treasury stands to \u2018lose\u2019 is not the issue,\u201d said Bottomley.<\/p>\n

“The issue is that it comes in large part from poorer people who were not supposed to lose it in the first place. Parliament never intended the Treasury to have so much money, because it did not expect people to lose so much money in the first place.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On Monday, the betting industry, which has predicted thousands of shop closures and job losses if stakes are reduced to \u00a32, took heart from a recommendation by the UK Gambling Commission<\/a> that suggested limits of \u00a330 or lower.<\/p>\n

The regulator said that the max stakes on FOBT slots-style games should be slashed to \u00a32, but took a softer line on games like roulette, which is by far the biggest earner for the industry.<\/p>\n

\u00a32 Still In The Cards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As the UKGC is perhaps the most influential contributor to the government review, much of the media leapt to the conclusion that the bookies had \u201cwon,\u201d and accused the regulator of caving into pressure to the retail gambling industry.<\/p>\n

But, in fact, the regulator gave no definitive opinion other than \u201c\u00a330 or lower\u201d which firmly passes the buck to the DCMS to make the decision.<\/p>\n

That decision falls to culture minister Matthew Hancock MP, who, despite pressure from the Treasury, is unlikely to want to be seen to be pandering to big business in the face of strong public opposition.<\/p>\n

Now, facing a possible revolt from within his own party, he may well take the nuclear option, in which case bookies should be bracing themselves for doomsday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s governing Conservative Party could face open rebellion from within its own ranks if it fails to reduce the maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals, the controversial betting shop machines that currently allow customers to bet up to $100 every 20 seconds. The warning comes from Sir Peter Bottomley MP, who told The Evening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":73444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,61,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUK Government Faces Party Revolt Over FOBT Max Stakes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ministers warned of Conservative Party revolt over FOBT stakes if they are not reduced to \u00a32. 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