On 14th September 2017 The Times newspaper published a letter from the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, about the forthcoming Government gambling review and the need to address the issue of fixed odds betting terminals:
Problem gambling
Sir, It is encouraging to read that the prime minister is putting her weight behind the reduction in stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) (“Treasury backs down on fixed-odds betting curbs”, Sep 12). The present maximum stake of £100 for an FOBT looks like an anomaly compared with the stakes permitted in other licensed gaming machine categories, which range from £1 to £5. The £100 stakes allow FOBTs to wreak disproportionate harm.
Almost one third of people who play on these machines are estimated to be “at-risk gamblers”, compared with only 6 per cent of lottery players or about 11 per cent of scratchcard players, according to the Gambling Commission’s latest figures.
Ninety-three local councils support a reduction in stakes to £2, as do numerous community groups and individuals with direct experience of gambling-related harm. Their voices are the ones that need to be heard when the government reviews the stakes for FOBTs.
Dr Alan Smith
Bishop of St Albans
(via The Times)
The Church of England in Parliament 
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