FOBTs battle continues in the UK

As the UK government tries to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) to £2, bookmakers are preparing different strategies to prevent the new regulation from taking effect. However, representatives of operators have decided that the judicial review strategy would only be used as a “last resort.”

“It would always be a last resort and only if it was clear the decision was not being taken on the evidence,” commented an anonymous source of UK bookmakers. “A judicial review is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body and are a challenge to the way a decision has been made, rather than the rights and wrongs of the conclusion reached,” explained the Racing Post.

Licensed bookmakers in the UK are bracing for impact as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is preparing three options for the maximum stake limit to be set on FOBTs. The current limit is £100 every 20 seconds and could be dropped to £2 (as proposed by the Labour party), £50 (which is the most appealing to bookies) and one between £10 and £30.