New figures obtained by London Mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan have revealed the millions of pounds being lost in slot machines around the city.
They reveal the massive amounts of money lost by gamblers in the machines, known as Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBT) in west London boroughs.
Top of the list through the capital is Westminster, where punters lost over £25m on the machines in 2014, with Brent, where more than £22m was squandered, coming second on the London list.
FOBTs are touch-screen machines found in betting shops across Britain, on which gamblers can play casino style games with £100 maximum stake per spin. They are said to be more addictive than other forms of gambling and are described as the “crack cocaine of gambling”.
The figures were provided to Mr Khan by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which wants the maximum stake on FOBTs reduced to £2 spin to bring them in line with all other gaming machines in the UK.
Nearly £16m was lost in Ealing and more than £14m in Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hillingdon. Nearly £8m was lost in Kensington & Chelsea and Harrow.
Tooting MP Mr Khan is backing the campaign and demanding the Government take action to protect the betting public from being exploited, urging it to give councils the power to reduce the maximum stake to £2.
He said: “The explosion in the use of FOBTs over the last decade and the sheer amount of money being lost in them is a cause for deep concern.
“We already knew that bookies were targeting the desperate and vulnerable by deliberately setting-up shop in deprived communities, but now we know just how much money they’re extracting from the people they prey on.
“The astronomical sums which are being leeched by the gambling industry from some of our most impoverished communities ought to be a stain on our collective social conscience and a spur for genuine action.
“It is clear that tougher regulation is needed to combat these machines, and the misery they are inflicting on our communities.
“The truth is Labour ministers got this wrong in the past and we need to fix it before another generation become addicted to using these machines which ruin so many people’s lives.”
Under the Gambling Act 2005, betting shops are allowed to have up to four FOBTs on their premises.
Across the capital Londoners inserted almost £2.5bn nto the machines last year, losing a total of £458,548,974.
Amount lost on FOBTs per borough:
- Hammersmith & Fulham - £14,429,863
- Kensington & Chelsea - £7,787,545
- Ealing - £15,804,135
- Hounslow - £14,887,954
- Brent - £22,217,408
- Hillington - £14,887,954
- Harrow - £7,787,545
- Westminster - £25,194,999
