The Royal Borough of Greenwich has welcomed the Government's decision to restrict the permitted stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

Successful campaign to introduce restrictions

Royal Greenwich has campaigned for years against FOBTs - in 2014 the Council passed a motion calling on the Government to introduce restrictions on the controversial machines that have been labelled a 'social blight' and the 'crack cocaine' of gambling.

The Royal Borough was one of the councils backing Newham Council's submission of the largest ever Sustainable Communities Act (SCA) proposal, calling for a FOBT stake reduction to £2.

The maximum permitted stake on fixed-odds betting terminals will now be slashed from £100 to £2.

'These machines are a blight on our high streets'

Councillor Jackie Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Environment, said: "These machines are a blight on our high streets. They foster addictive gambling behaviour, destroy families and hurt communities.

"I am delighted that the government has finally woken up to this problem, ignored the intense lobbying of the gambling industry and put a curb on this cynical, destructive business."

Whereas fruit machines in pubs, bingo halls and amusement arcades cash stakes are limited, FOBT gamblers have been able to bet with cash or via a debit card up to £100 every 20 seconds on digital roulette. This is more than four times as fast as the rate of play in casinos. The average income of each FOBT is £53,000 per year.

Causing harm to people and their families

Councillor Smith said: "We acknowledge that betting shops can provide enjoyment for customers who are responsible and local employment opportunities for residents. However, fixed odds betting machines allow far too much money to be lost in an incredibly short time, and that is what is causing major harm to individuals and families in our communities."

If you have any issues or problems with gambling you can find help on the Gambler's Anonymous website