BACTA lobbies for FOBTs reform in the UK

The trade body is expected to meet Treasury officials to discuss the delay on the FOBTs reduction.

UK.- BACTA, the trade body from the United Kingdom, has revealed that it is set to meet officials from the Treasury next week in order to take into account the disapproval of the delay on the implementation of the £2 stake on fixed odds betting machines (FOBTs).

National president Gabi Stergides, vice president James Miller and chief executive John White will be part of the delegation that will participate in Wednesday’s meeting. “The government has taken the decision to reduce the maximum stake on FOBTs to £2, it’s taken the credit for making that reduction so why is it taking two years to implement?” said White.

Industry experts claim that the two years that it will take for the new regulatory scheme to kick off will significantly hurt people, as millionaire losses are expected in that period. “We also know that the bookies have been scenario planning for a variety of outcomes and it’s inconceivable that the £2 stake has come as a shock when the weight of opinion from the Church of England to the Royal Society for Public Health has been in favour of such a reduction,” said White.

Moreover, BACTA will lobby to reduce MGD on SWP machines, as it claims that “SWPs or quiz machines were part of the culture of many pubs and they are now close to disappearing entirely.” And added that the cost to the Treasury of such a change is negligible and could be facilitated by a simple amendment to the Finance Act. “We are hopeful of a sympathetic hearing based on the facts.”