Responding to the Government’s announcement of a review into gambling, Tom Watson, Labour Deputy Leader and Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport said:

“Labour welcomes this review, which is long overdue.

“We have been calling on the Government to take action on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals for many years.

“The Government has finally woken up to the fact that it has not done enough to curtail the proliferation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, which are now a blight on many of our high streets.

“All the available evidence suggests these machines are highly addictive. That is why Labour wants to see the maximum stake reduce from £100 to £2.

“They can cause real and lasting damage to gamblers and they have become a huge problem for communities that are often struggling to cope with under-investment and high unemployment.”

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