£2 limit on FOBT

I agree with Boro and Problem gambler. £2 won't give me the same buzz either. Can't wait until it is introduced

Interesting that the gaming industry ‘need time’ to update the software to reduce the spin to £2.00. Had the decision been to remove the limit so people could stake whatever they wanted that software would have been updated within days, hours even.

To be as close to death without dying is often where we wanted to be.

That a very good line from itsbeenalonglongtime even though I dont always agree with the other points. There is a devil may care, self destructive element in there

That is the level to which I had to analyse my addiction. To look at me you might think I had something going for me but I was desperately lost, aimless in life and desperately lonely. Even though I was putting a brave face on it my soul was numb and I was hurting inside. I saw no real future, no hope of meeting the right person (not wanting to meet the right person as I felt I would only let them down) but I was also a complex mix of anxiety about the past, fear of the future, a jaded view of life and a lazy pure escapist streak as a coping mechanism

I dont know what would have saved me short of a ban.....I feel no machines around the high street would have saved me but I wonder about that even now.

How can someone with an almost obsessive control in other areas of my life have sunk thousand upon thousand into them. I would buy a pint usually alone and then instantly be scanning and walking over to a machine.

On holiday I felt overwhelmed in a Scottish city and the only thing I wanted to do was head to the nearest arcade. I did and blew £500 in a few hours. It soothed my overwhelming anxiety, distracted and confused my thoughts, but was really hurting me at the same time.

If thats not the definition of a drug fix I dont know what is. Sometimes I have silly thoughts that I wish it had been Class A or drink because I would probably have more money left but I dont mean that because a substance addiction also takes away relationships, jobs, homes and lives.

I had that thought because its truly scary how fast a gambling addiction will take money from us with the temptation that we can get it back another day. I used to look at the finances and think NEVER again but I would soon be back doing the same thing. I would double my losses and then just couldnt explain it afterwards. At what point had that seemed a good idea because there is just no rationality to it during the comedown...like there is no rationality to using a highly addictive drug which causes nasty side effects as it destroys the body. We go back again for more just like any drug addict

Look I really hope a lower stake does help some people but it would need to help loads of people. I wont use the tired cliche that if it saves one person because the number of problem gamblers in the uk is staggering.

The addiction is deep and complex but i think it gets us in the same core way. Something is missing in us and perhaps we dont like to admit it.

I feel there is a lot of anger and disappointment in society today as it gets tougher to earn a crust never mind a comfortable living. I wonder if the powers that be have rolled out gambling as another "legal" chemical cosh that gathers taxation.

I wonder what they do discuss at the regulatory meetings because there must be doctors and psychologists on hand who do understand this addiction and how it controls people.

£2 would not have helped me. With the rapid rate of play and addictive nature, I do think its only a token gesture

Best wishes

If only it were true as though they put maximum stake £2 on roulette or just slots. I am thinking that roulette will not be £2 maximum stake that will be more, maybe £30 max bet limit but still £13.85 on a number. Can anyone tell me about this.

I’ve done every value of bet on the FOBT machines in the bookies. I’ve done 20p five line spins to £50 fortune spins all to chase the win and those stupid reel king features or senior burritos feature.

Like others have said it is irrelevant as you still end up chasing your losses as eventually you lose. Some days you may win and get the rush you have won. The next day you’ll try your luck again and lose what you won and more.

I dread to think how many hours I wasted. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I think the last time I gambled, the week before I decided to attack it head on, I was about a £1k up for the week. I’m the end I finished on being £200 down. So £1200 and that feeling of why do I do this and wishing I could go back in time.

I remember telling myself don’t take your wallet out inside my head but I did anyway.

The odds are fixed in the favour of the bookies. If you want to gamble go for it but you’ll lose eventually and then come crashing down like we all have.

I remember the services having £2 as their maximum bet but you see guys and girls and previously me going back and forth to the strategically placed cash point withdrawing money to chase those brutal losses. Having that in a bookies ain’t gonna matter. People will still spin and still lose their hard earned cash. It’s the life of a compulsive gambler and the way it is for them.

CJ.

Hi cj, hope Sunday finds you ok? do you think the £2 stake is a good move though? I havent played the fobt's since dec 23rd and I dont intend to again, I spent years feeding the spinning wheel, till the light hit home, I cant play cause once I start I cant stop. It may not stop people who just ................. enjoy say the slots on a low level, but people who have been playing high end stakes will just walk away ..... the buzz will not be there ......... that can only I hope be a good thing for the public.

I think it's a great move and wish it had been in place when I was gambling. Credit to whoever has made this decision. Now to ban all advertising like cigarettes.

LML, sorry for my late reply on this one. I got lost in the sea of other messages.

Hmmmm do I think it’s a good move? Not really. I feel that I would still have rinsed a whole load of money even at £2. It would just take me longer than the 5 spins in 1 minute as they will still be as poor at payout due to the bookies winning.

I played low stakes too chasing the feature. It just didn’t give me the wilds or features as often. I dunno I think gambling in the UK needs to be addressed as a serious problem personally.

CJ.

£2 is too small of a bet to get thrill from it for me, so that is a real big disincentive to go into these bookies. Unfortunately at my worst I would bet £50 a spin. Typical bet is £15-25 a spin, and I would often be there for hours at a time.

I cannot wait for this to go through.

They should be banned, I love the idea of a membership card to use any bookies then self exclusion will work much better.

I'm sure the bookies aren't going to go short because a ВЈ2 a spin machine paying out a 92% return to player will still cost you £192 an hour if you spin every 3 seconds.

Sam301 wrote:

[quote=holycrosser]

They should be banned, I love the idea of a membership card to use any bookies then self exclusion will work much better.

For as long as I can remember I've said this.

Everyone gambling there needs a membership card. Register in store (With ID and proof of address), get said card in the post a few days later. They need to put it into FOBT's to play. They can access their account in both bookies and online and of which can self exclude making the card useless.

That opens the door for a very irresponsible friend to lend that member card to a friend they know to have a problem I suppose.

Yet can be eliminated by having a bio chip with picture of person.

When someone registers, theres a camera at the front desk that takes a picture of them and is linked to the application. This picture is stored on the card's bio chip. At the counter is a screen with 4 squares. Each square shows the bio pic. Staff can click it to see peoples Age. They can decide to question that person and block the machine they are playing at.

Bookies are very sneaky and it's good they are getting stung as "self exclude" is a very soft term. There shouldn't be such a thing as "Self exclude" but instead requesting to be banned.

If someone is self excluded and they enter the bookies, staff often won't want to confront that person. If they were banned then they could have that as a banning order meaning if that person enters the bookmakers, it's tresspass and the police could be called to remove them.

Yes a simple solution that will REALLY help, so 100% they will never do it, bit sad really.ive lost a lot on them and the absolute wiz they get you in is criminal.

Walliss77 wrote: I'm sure the bookies aren't going to go short because a £2 a spin machine paying out a 92% return to player will still cost you £192 an hour if you spin every 3 seconds.

Depends, very often you can spend 6 solid hours on £30, or £100 in 10 minutes. Thankfully the latter will not be possible.

countdown... 2 weeks to go to £2 spin comes in in the bookies.

they have been horrific to me for years, last month on pay day..walked in bookes, on roulette £500 in 10 mins at lunch break, feeling sick, in you office chair for the next 4 hours, being withdrawn from colleagues chatting and being unresponsive in meetings, no longer can do it from 1 april its absolufutely fantastic...scrapping money for the next month staying in bookes poncing the free £5 roulette vouchers getting around 3-6 a day even going down bookies in shop bins lol.. anyway they stopped printing last sunday, slots vouchers instead now. Its £1200 of roulette spins to generate that £5 voucher or £400 of slot spins..unreal..

not a big slots fans myself but an everage 40 mins in lunch break could probably do £200 on £2 if quick and unlucky, but me its hugh releif as someone said in the bookies if you dont do it online you will be ok...

YES. Not long now until this scurge for so many of us will be greatly helped. How often have we chased losses by having ten and fifteen quid spins. I have been in a bookies in the past for near 6 hours and not once did a member of staff ask if i was ok or indeed ask if wanted a drink. This has happened on many occasions when ive been in for 2 or 3 hours too. The gameplay on 20p roulette is what i enjoy and the fact that i wont be able to play it is music to my ears, ive heard that the current 20p roulette will no longer be available in some bookies and i dont play slots anyway so this will be a great event for me. Firstly i would like to see some bookies close earllier at a normal time like 5pm and then hopefully some will close down. I do not care about job losses, the more the better, it means less people are losing money and spending it elsewhere in the ecomony. As for the staff they will have to get a more honourable respectful job than being P*********s for the bookies. I HATE FOBT MACHINES AND HOPE ANY OF YOU WHO ARE ADDICTED TO THEM ALSO STAY CLEAR OF THEM WHILE THEY ARE STILL RIPPING PEOPLE OFF AND THEN STAY OFF THEM COMPLETLY AFTER APRIL 1ST. Ask yourself what has a fobt done for you? What pleasure and great service has a bookie given you? HOPE YOU ALL STAY STRONG AND THIS IS THE YEAR WE ALL START TO BE FREE OF THIS SCURGE. PEACE.