However, the head of the Island’s Methodist Church – long-time campaigners against the use of the machines – says the caps do not go far enough and that a complete ban is still needed.
This week it was announced that the UK government is to cut the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals – known as the crack cocaine of the gambling world – from £100 to between £50 and £2.
The high-stakes, high-speed electronic casino games are said to be dangerously addictive and currently allow a stake of up to £100 be wagered every 20 seconds. There are 92 of the machines in Jersey.
The announcement, which will be followed by a 12-week consultation, is part of a package of measures announced in the government’s gambling review.
David Evans, deputy chief officer of the Jersey Gambling Commission, said the Island would be keeping a close eye on how the proposals were received in the UK.
However, he added that the industry in the Island was already very well regulated, and that no problems had been reported with such machines. Local bookmakers – who are entitled to have up to four of the machines – also have a responsibility to monitor their use, he added.
‘We are certainly going to be following the outcome of the consultation,’ Mr Evans said. ‘We are not going to pre-empt the outcomes, but we are certainly interested to see what happens and to see what the responses to the consultation will be and what the government’s attitude to them will be.’
He added that it was expected that any changes in the UK would be agreed around March or April next year.
‘We have got a small industry in Jersey, but we have got a couple of highstreet bookmakers: Ladbrokes and Hills [William Hill]. Their licences are set until 2019, so the terms will continue until then. However, if there is a reduction in stakes it is inevitable that whatever happens in the UK will probably affect Jersey.
‘However, it is fair to say that we have had no complaints about stakes and prizes in Jersey.’
The Rev Graeme Halls, the Superintendent of Jersey’s Methodist Circuit, said that any reduction in stakes was welcomed, but added that the proposals did not go far enough.
‘I think to put that sort of temptation at £100 a spin, if you like, can be very damaging, and we haven’t really changed our view on that,’ he said. ‘I welcome this review and welcome the reduction of
the maximum amount that can be gambled at any one time. However, I am still opposed to these machines existing at all.’
FOBTs have only been available to play in Jersey, in licensed betting shops, for the past few years after the States agreed to their introduction. Previously, a quirk within Jersey’s betting law had meant they could not be used in the Island.
