Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       reiterates support for previous resolutions calling on the government to give local authorities the powers they need to respond to concerns from their local communities and stop the proliferation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminal (FOBT) machines and betting shops;

(b)       notes that each betting outlet can provide four FOBT machines which offer casino style content including games such as roulette at up to £100 a spin, which can be wagered every 20 seconds, and believes (i) it is in response to the cap that bookmakers have opened multiple premises in clusters to facilitate more machines as a fixed margin product guarantees bookmakers a return and (ii) as a result, FOBTs have become a significant part of their business operations which has led to betting shops proliferating on high streets and licenses being moved from tertiary locations to clusters;

(c)        further notes there are now more than 33,400 FOBTs offering casino content on high streets, illustrating this is a nation-wide issue, and that there are also more than twice as many betting shops in the poorest 55 local authority areas compared with the most affluent 115, which are equivalent by population;

(d)       notes the campaign led by the London Borough of Newham, with support from a number of local authorities, to support the Sustainable Communities Act (SCA) submission to reduce the stakes on category B2 Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in on-street betting outlets from £100 to £2 per spin;

(e)       wholeheartedly supports this campaign, which will help to tackle the proliferation of betting shops throughout Sheffield, an issue which the Council is hamstrung to tackle; and

(f)        directs that a copy of this motion is sent to the Government and the London Borough of Newham to convey Sheffield’s full support for the campaign.