HM Government have avoided prescribing betting limits for FOBTs. Instead there is to be a twelve week phase of gasbaggery, styled consultation. The range of permissible maximum bets is £2 to £50. Faites vos jeux. My bet is that the maximum will be set at £50 which in practice is the maximum anyway since even to bet this sum it has to be signed off by the counter staff. Can you believe that?! Anyway, I think the betting shop operators will win this one since those with longer memories will recall why betting offices were licensed, namely to avoid illegal betting. Unreasonably limiting FOBT's will simply cause the addict to take his cash and energies elsewhere. |