Hold-up ‘at the top’ prompts fresh delays on FOBT crackdown

The decision whether to lower the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in the United Kingdom has been delayed yet again, this time due to infighting “at the top of government.”

Members of the Parliament were expected to announce the UK government’s decision to enforce a reduced limit on FOBT wagering levels before the month of April ended, but Daily Mail reported on Monday that the crackdown has been put off until after the local elections have been held in the beginning of May because of conflicts among some members of the government.

Chancellor Philip Hammond was “responsible for the hold-up,” sources told the UK news outlet.

Hammond, a member of the British Conservative Party, has been reportedly rebuffing the proposal to impose a £2 maximum stake on grounds that the government may stand to lose “hundreds of millions in gambling tax revenues.” The proposed limit would be a huge drop from the current £100 per spin limit.