This week, UK politicians passed new laws that will change the way poker machines in casinos are regulated. The changes will affect the maximum stake and prizes that each game is permitted to offer; however, they will not apply to gaming machines that are located in betting shops. In the United Kingdom, a common form of gambling is wagering on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

These are electronic gaming machines, which are located in betting shops across the country. They are similar to poker machines that are located in clubs, pubs and bookmakers in Australia. The new changes will see pokies increase their maximum stake from £2 to £5. They will also increase the maximum jackpot from £4000 to £10 000, and the maximum progressive prize will be increased to £20 000.

The goal of these changes is to foster growth in the casino gambling market by attracting more players to poker machines in major gambling venues across the country. Although the new changes will apply to poker machines that are located in casinos, they will not have an effect on FOBTs in betting shops. The only changes that will occur for FOBTs will be an increase in their top payouts, which will be raised from £70 to £100.

Responsible gambling advocates across the country believe that the UK government has missed an opportunity to reduce the potential harm of FOBTs. While politicians were making changes to casino pokies, they also had the opportunity to change the stakes and prizes for FOBTs in betting shops, but decided against it. They stated that there is not enough evidence to prove that a significant reduction would improve problem gambling rates.

“It is currently not clear how great an impact a reduction would have on gambling related harm,” reads a report on the new changes. More research is required before the government makes significant changes for FOBTs. There needs to be an established correlation between lower stakes and reduced gambling harm before any action is taken.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.