Maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals to be reduced, says UK government

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) opened a consultation on reducing the maximum stake that can be placed on 'B2' gaming machines (62-page / 951KB PDF) from £100 down to between £2 and £50.

Government minister Tracey Crouch said the current regulation of B2 gaming machines "is inappropriate to achieve our stated objective of protecting consumers and wider communities".

The consultation also proposed maintaining existing regulatory restrictions around the stakes and prizes that are permitted on other categories of gaming machine, as well as on their numbers and allocations.

However, a package of new social responsibility measures has been proposed for betting shops and other organisations that install gaming machines.

Gambling operators will need to do more to encourage customers to set voluntary time and spend limits when using gaming machines, and should also consider forcing customers to stop playing when those limits are met, the government said.

Technology also has a role to play in tackling problem gambling, according to the government. Algorithms can be utilised to "identify problematic play", it said.

"Although there is a long way to go to utilise the wealth of data available on gaming machines, we believe that this measure has the potential to be an effective intervention tool for those most at risk," the government said.

Operators could also be required to introduce "a form of tracked play" on certain gaming machines in future. The Gambling Commission has been asked to report back to the government on the costs of such a measure.

"By tracked play, we do not necessarily mean that players would be required to provide verified personal information about themselves to their gambling operators," the government said. "It could be a process by which players would register and be given some way of tracking their play (e.g. a number, a QR code) without providing this information. An approach like this would address player concerns about sharing personal data with gambling operators, but still provide data to better understand harm and the effectiveness of interventions."

Among the other measures announced was a plan to develop a new responsible gambling advertising campaign, while further changes to the licensing of online operators could also be introduced.