BOOKMAKERS AND FIXED ODDS BETTING TERMINALS

That this House is concerned by the campaign which is being waged against fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in bookmakers' shops and against bookmakers themselves; believes that bookmakers site their shops in affordable, populated areas, as do owners of many shops, and do not target areas of deprivation; points out that, far from proliferating, the number of betting shops has halved from its peak number; disputes the assertions that problem gambling is on the increase or that vast amounts of money can be lost in a few minutes on FOBTs; reminds the Government that the sport of horse racing, the finances of which remain in a very poor state, is dependent on bookmakers for much of its income, and that any reduction in their profits would have a serious knock-on effect on the UK's second most popular spectator sport, putting thousands of jobs at risk; and calls on the Government to continue to pursue an evidence-based approach to this issue.