British national daily newspaper The Guardian questions Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) chairman Neil Goulden’s integrity as he lobbied on behalf of gambling industry during the research into fixed-odds betting terminal.

RGT, an independent charity in Britain devoted to minimizing gambling-related harm, launched a largest study of fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in 2013.

The 1200-page study, written by Goulden and Richard Glynn, then chief executive of Ladbrokes, used data from the biggest betting shop chains, machine suppliers and interviews with 4,000 gamblers to determine what could be done to minimize harm. But the study does not recommend cutting the stake on what have been dubbed ‘crack cocaine’ machines.

Spokesperson from Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG), which calls for the stake on FOBTs to be slashed to £2, said that the research did not focus on FOBTs and why they are addictive, the one strand that is relevant to this debate clearly shows that the £100 stake is harmful.