Wales to decide over gambling machines
The UK government confirmed that the British country will have responsibility for licensing gaming machines.
UK.- The United Kingdom is preparing itself for one last debate at the House of Lords, where authorities will discuss the final Wales Bill. The UK government confirmed that the Welsh Government will have the power to ban high-stakes gambling machines in Wales.
According to the new measurement, Wales will be exclusively responsible for licensing gaming machines where the current maximum stake is more than £10. Labour stated that the law should also apply to existing machines, and not just the new ones. Jo Stevens MP, Shadow Welsh Secretary, said: “This is an important victory to help stop out of control gambling that can ruin lives. Responsible gambling can be harmless fun, but these machines which have been dubbed ‘the crack cocaine of gambling’ are causing real and lasting damage.”
Labour said that fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are one of the worst things for gamblers since they’re “highly addictive,” because they allow platers to spend up to £100 in 20 seconds. Labour estimates that Wales currently has more than 1500 FOBTs that report earnings of £1.6 billion every year.
