Wednesday August 30th 2017
The Association of British Bookmakers in Scotland have responded to the comments issued by Colin Beattie MSP and featured in Midlothian View yesterday, read the article HERE where Mr Beattie demanded tougher action on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTS):
The Association of British Bookmakers in Scotland said:
“Betting shops are the safest place to gamble on the high street because of the extensive responsible gambling measures they adopt, many of them unique to bookmakers, and because of the 5000 employees in Scotland who are trained to help anyone who may be developing a problem with gambling. That’s what makes our shops the safer bet.
“Gaming machines were introduced into betting shops more than 15 years ago. Over this period, problem gambling has remained static across the UK, and actually fell in Scotland in 2015 to 0.7%. We are encouraged by these figures but not complacent and will continue to lead industry efforts to reduce problem gambling.
“It is worth noting that FOBTs account for only 13% of gambling spend in the UK. Gamblers spend seven times more money on other gambling products, often in venues that lack our tight controls and trained staff. Targeting a single product, such as FOBTs, would do nothing to reduce problem gambling but would cause huge economic harm and force thousands of trained employees in Scotland out of work, including many in Colin Beattie’s constituency.”
Tweet Share on Facebook
