UK government launches review of FOBTs, gambling advertising

The UK government has finally confirmed plans to review the electronic gaming machines in bookmakers’ betting shops as well as gambling operators’ advertising practices.

On Monday, Tracey Crouch (pictured), the Tory Minister for Sport, Tourism & Heritage, announced that the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) was launching a review of bookmakers’ fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT), confirming rumors that have been circulating since early September.

The DCMS has issued a call for evidence (viewable here) seeking views on whether to lower the current maximum FOBT stake of £100 per spin as well as whether to amend the current limit of four FOBTs per betting shop. The deadline for submitting evidence is December 4, after which the government will consider the submissions and determine the appropriate regulatory response.

The DCMS also plans to examine “the impacts of gambling advertising and whether the right rules are in place to protect children and vulnerable people.” Earlier this month, rumors circulated that the government was mulling a blanket ban on all gambling advertising before 9pm, including an end to the exemption granted to sportsbook advertising during live sporting events.