Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

Debate between Clive Efford and Caroline Lucas

Wednesday 8th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Clive Efford]

Sadly, that situation is repeated in too many places throughout the country, and it is time that the Government recognised that the problem can be dealt with only at a local level.

[Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)]

rose—

[Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con)]

rose—

[Clive Efford]

I shall give way to the hon. Lady and then to the hon. Gentleman.

[Caroline Lucas]

The hon. Gentleman makes a powerful case about how betting shops and fixed odds betting terminals are proliferating in some of our most deprived areas. We have 70 FOBTs in Brighton, Pavilion alone. Does he share my concern that some betting shops are now cutting the hourly wages of their staff, but offering them the chance to make up the loss if they can increase the profit from the machines? Is not that completely unacceptable?

[Clive Efford]

It is, and it flies in the face of the betting industry’s claims about how it trains its staff to deal with problem gambling, because the industry is incentivising them to encourage people to gamble more.