The Government’s cut to the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) has been welcomed by campaigners, but they say more still needs to be done.
Last week, the Government warned bookmakers that the maximum stake on the highly addictive machines would be reduced from £100 per spin to £2.
Now it is being urged to address other areas of gambling, such as online betting, and advertising.
‘Dangerous’
Marc Etches, Chief Executive of charity GambleAware, said: “With mobile phones, online gambling is instantly accessible.
“For those people who have a problem controlling their gambling behaviour, accessibility, speed of play and the ability to lose a lot of money very quickly become particularly dangerous.”
He added that widespread advertising, particularly at sporting events, has normalised gambling, and that children are “undeniably” being affected.
Almost 400,000 11-to-16-year-olds gamble each week, with 25,000 of them problem gamblers, according to industry watchdog the Gambling Commission.
Reform
Campaigner Adam Bradford told The Christian Institute he was “delighted” the Government had “finally seen sense on this important issue”, but wants greater reform.
Alongside his former gambling addict father David, he said: “We believe all adverts for gambling should be banned, there is no need for them.”