Northern Ireland bookies urged to bring fixed-odds betting stake in line with rest of UK

Three Northern Ireland bookies have been urged to follow their UK counterparts and cut maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) to combat problem gambling.

It comes after members of the Association of British Bookmakers, including Paddy Power, William Hill and Coral, agreed to a reduction in the top wager in the terminals from USD150 to just USD2.

Ladbrokes led the way by announcing last November that it was cutting the stake in FOBTs - dubbed the crack cocaine of high street gambling - in Northern Ireland as of this April, in line with the rest of the UK.

PUP councillor John Kyle, who recently led a debate at Belfast City Council on problem gambling, said the decision by the Association of British Bookmakers showed "great social responsibility".

"I welcome it wholeheartedly, and it sets a direction that other gambling companies in Northern Ireland should follow," he said. "I'm calling on Sean Graham, McLean's and Toals to accept their responsibility and take the same steps to minimise the damage that these gaming machines can do. FOBTs are probably the most addictive form of gambling. People have lost businesses because of being addicted to these machines. This measure of reducing the maximum stake from £100 down to £2 seems to deal with that. It does seem to address this addictive element in a very effective way."

Last May the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in England announced that the maximum stake on FOBTs, through which people could bet up to USD150 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as roulette, would be cut to USD2.

The change in legislation, however, did not apply to Northern Ireland, in part because the Gambling Act 2005 does not extend across the Irish Sea.

Mr Kyle put forward a motion at Belfast City Hall earlier this month calling on betting companies here to voluntarily reduce the maximum stake.

The Association of British Bookmakers has now written to Mr Kyle, confirming that they, like Ladbrokes, will reduce the upper limit.

"Ladbrokes, Coral, Paddy Power, Betfair and William Hill have all voluntarily agreed to take the same approach in Northern Ireland as they are taking in England, Scotland and Wales - even though the legislation doesn't compel them to do so," Mr Kyle stressed.

"It is them acting in their role to minimise gambling-related damage, and it sets a direction for other gambling companies to follow."

FOBTs currently work within in a legal grey area in Northern Ireland which means that machines will continue to operate at £100 a spin unless the bookies themselves decide to impose a change.

Research has shown that FOBTs are clustered in economically deprived areas and that there are four times as many problem gamblers in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK.

Public policy charity Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) called on other bookmakers to publicly commit to reducing the maximum stake as soon as possible.

Northern Ireland policy officer Mark Baillie said: "CARE is pleased that other bookmakers have joined Ladbrokes in slashing the stakes in Northern Ireland, and we urge the rest to follow suit."