U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron says he will consider whether to support restrictions on casino-style electronic table games in betting shops.
Cameron, who said he has been lobbied by MPs on all sides, stated, “I do think it is worth having a proper look at this issue, to see what we can do to make sure that, yes, we have bookmakers that are not over-regulated, but, on the other hand, a fair approach and a decent approach that prevents problem gambling.”
Adrian Parkinson of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, a grassroots group that opposes the proliferation of the games, known as fixed-odds betting terminals, said, “It was a pretty vague answer, but at least it’s on his agenda.”
Cameron made the statement in response to a query from Labor MP Tom Watson during Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament.
Watson has added his voice to a growing chorus of critics of the devices, which can accept stakes up to £100 and have transformed the “local bookies” into “High Street digital casinos,” as he put it. He called on the government to follow Ireland’s example by banning them.
