Why FOBT's are dangerous

Never would I say it would solve the epidemic ODAAT. Not saying its a quick fix solution but would you not agree if they werent around the amount of people developing gambling problems would be far less?

Of course it would be. I cant base this on facts (I'm sure if I done a bit of research I would find some) but the percentage of new people developing gambling problems must increase as age decreases. This is because young people are more interested in the fast pace of fobt machines. The fast pace of them means a faster pace of increased stakes and in turn a faster pace of addiction. Most young people who turn 18 and come into the bookies know anything about horse racing. For many the tradition of their old man teaching them how to place a reverse forecast is gone. Instead they come in and play something they know they can work-technology.

My point is that as they are more addictive the appropriate amount of effort into dealing with them should be applied.

I have a friend who used to bet on a coupon on a saturday for years. Never more than a fiver, never during the week. Once he decided to play the machine and won a couple of quid he quickly became a bigger gambler. Such a common story. So many people would say they wish they had just never touched the machines.

There is a reason that the number of bookmakers has increased rapidly in the last 5 years. The fobt machines. They are only allowed four machines per shop which is the reason they now just open more shops. Have you ever been in a city centre and stood at one bookmakers only to be steps away from another of the same brand.

They take in much more money than betting sports and thats fact. The bookies I worked for admitted that 50% of their profit came from the fobt. Not just of the shop but 50% of the whole business i.e. sports, online sports, online casino, bingo and poker.

I'm not saying get rid of gambling but if one part of gambling is far more addictive than another then we should be looking at it carefully. Of course you can get addicted to any other betting but its far harder to play an fobt machine and not get hooked than it is to buy scratch cards.

It's like with drugs. You can be addicted to heroin and you can also be addicted to weed but i can gaurantee you have a far better chance of not becoming addicted with the latter. I can also gaurantee that police put far more effort into getting heroin off the street than weed. Why? Because one is more harmful to society. Same principle here.

It seems common ground that the 'epidemic' has come about with the deregulation of the gambling industry (and also due to the internet boom)

So, seeing as deregulation has led to an epidemic, why not 'regulate'? Heavily if need be.

I'm not suggesting criminalising users (as with the ludicrous drugs policy). But make gambling less accessible and appealing.

This idea that tighter regulation drives people underground is the same cr&P Big Tobacco came out with for decades. Thankfully, regulation in tobacco IS now working and far fewer young people smoke. Even that's only because the scientific evidece became so completely overwhelming that governments couldn't carry on turning a blind eye.

I've spent 6 months in Oz and the prevalence of FOBTs there, they call them 'pokies', is absolutely sickening (I naively thought going travelling would take me away from gambling). Every pub has a large separate room dedicated to state of the art FOBTs. I've just read online that Australia has the biggest gambling problem in the world. And 50% of gamblers in Australia are gambling on Pokies. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150610005010/en/GBGC-Country-Gambles

It seems pretty obvious to me that if something is harming the public you regulate it. Banning FOBTs and FMs wouldn't stop gambling addiction across the board. But it would stop people playing FOBTs and FMs.

I would then regulate heavily online too or ban it. I can see a role for tightly licensed casinos.

I don't believe in criminalising drug use. But I'm also pretty happy that the heroine markets havent been opened up to big business. I'm happy there aren't shops every 10 metres on high streets enticing people to buy heroine. I'm confident that if this had happened with heroine, then heroine use would sky rocket.

Surprised that amongst GC users there isn't more widespread agreement that they should be banned - what with us lot knowing first hand what a cancer they are. Maybe this is down to the success of the Industry in making people feel disempowered or that there's no alternative.

I would love nothing more than to see every platform the industry vomits up dead in the water, Louis but given that's a pipe dream a return to the heavy regulation and social stigma of yesteryear would be a welcome alternative.

The whole issue is a ticking timebomb.

A massive subject folks:- Government taxes, de-regulation, personal data - gambling restrictive, legalities and design ethics.

I certainly agree that the betting industry is getting out of hand but you may not be able to sleigh the demon, only control it. And as many of you have already stated - a gambler is acting in free will ( despite the initial addictive compulsion), and therefore, whatever measures are put in place it would not irradicate the problem, only lessen it.

To be honest, I don't totally get the FOBT machines. I understand how addictive and frustrating they are because I once spent many infuriating hours on a pub fruit machine, getting drawn into the spell. And I can only imagine the enticement and mind control of the FOBT's. However I now stand back and think that players must be nuts if they think they can out-witt a computer.

I would still like to see identity cards, you cant gamble without presenting your card which has to be registered to an electoral role address and you can set limits etc.

Increasing limits should be 7 days and a perm exclusion should be available

reverse withdrawal practise should be outlawed and banks could/should offer a non-gambling option

I know there would be ways to circumnavigate all of these but I wouldn't wish this addiction on anyone and I most certainly wouldn't wish it on the innocent victims we betray, lie to, the families that miss out on nice food, holidays and live under a constant cloud of debt

All that said, I chose to gamble.

Today I will choose not to.

I think we all have our own form of " Poison " ? . I after many , many years of gambling as responsibly as a person could be on horses and dogs in my local betting shops became completely addicted to the Fobt's , I would still bet on dogs but mainly in order to gain funds to bet on the machines , nothing else mattered except playing the roulette and I would stand and pump as much money as I could get my hands on to get gthe buzz and feed my addiction . The thing I find strange is that I've never gambled online ( not once) and although I have a laptop , Iphone ect it has just never appealed to me ? .

I wouldn't have believed a while ago that I'd have ever stopped playing them but it's nearly 2 years now since my last spin of the wheel or any other bet , in my opinion you just have to find the strength to stop and change your way of thinking and ultimately your life :)).

Best wishes to all those fighting .

Hi all

This is a very interesting thread and echoes the same way I see and feel about gambling. I have my first counselling session tonight and my last foray into a betting shop and onto those basted machienes was around 2 weeks ago. I am focusing on other areas of my busy life which has so far kept me away and sane I hope the counselling will help build on my good work and come un with some more strategies.

Alright mate great topic and I can totally understand why you say A lot of the things you do.
I worked in a bookies for a while and have been addicted to the machines for years and years. I agree with you regarding the people who play them and how quickly you can get hooked.
Definitely a lot of them would not be in the bookies in the first place if the fobts weren't there, or at least in there current form. I know there is always the option to gamble online but even that isn't as instant because you can't get hold of the money immediately.
I've mentioned before about the time between spins and I find it incredible that you can still do them so regularly. A bit of time for your brain to rationalise, and not just be obsessed with the repeating the bet, would make a difference for sure.
As for people who play them for fun and in control, they are a tiny tiny minority.
It is difficult because I do think there is something in 'personal responsibility ' too but when in the addiction it just doesn't seem to matter. Nothing matters apart from staying active.
Finding the answer of what can be done isn't easy because they won't get totally banned but it's certain something needs to be done.
These companies are, well just that, businesses trying to maximise profits. It is pretty much at any cost though which can't be legal. As you said if the true scale of the problem was brought to light I think action would be taken, unfortunately I don't think that will be happening anytime soon.

As I have had issues on the sport InPlay machines I can say it's just as easy to bet £300(thats the limit) on a game of serve on tennis as you can lose on foot machines I think they should limit all gambling machines