GAMBLING MACHINES IN BETTING SHOPS

Early day motion 1030, tabled 5 February 2013 by Michael Connarty (Labour). Signed by 40 members.

That this House is concerned at the spread of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops and that £40 billion a year is now gambled and re-gambled on them; notes that most money is paid into machines in poorer areas of the country, accounting for 50 per cent of the profits of betting shops; is disappointed that the present Government scrapped the British Gambling Prevalence Survey set up as part of the Gambling Act 2005; and calls on the Government to restore a national gambling survey, funded by the gambling industry, to monitor and combat addiction, to strengthen local authority control over planning consent for betting shops by introducing a separate use class for them, to reduce the limits on the number of FOBTs and to reduce the maximum permitted individual stake that can be gambled on them.

Signatures by party: Labour 28, Liberal Democrat 6, Conservative 2, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.