This year's Autumn conference will debate a motion put forward to stop the spread of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals on Britain high streets.
The spread of highly-addictive Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) on Britain’s high streets must be stopped, argues Benali Hamdache, co-coordinator of the London Green Party.
FOBTs, the electronic high-speed roulette machines dubbed the "crack cocaine of gambling", are “devastating the lives of too many vulnerable individuals”, said Hamdache.
FOBTs allow for individuals to lose large amounts of money in a very short amount of time. Players can bet up to £100 per spin every 20 seconds. These terminals are deliberately placed, by bookmakers, in areas of the highest deprivation. Figures by Fairer Gambling found that revenue from areas with the highest unemployment was 400% higher than in areas of lowest unemployment.
Current legislation offers councils very little power to prevent the spread of betting shops and betting terminals on high streets.
Hamdache will propose a motion at the The Green Party's Autumn Conference in Brighton (September 13-16) which will call for immediate action to curb the spread of FOBTs.
“These terminals are clearly designed to encourage reckless betting. The Green Party is calling on councils to be given more power to refuse betting shops planning permission and a cap on how much money could be lost on these machines”, said Hamdache.