More than £330million bet on high-stake gambling machines in Barnet (From Times Series)

More than £330million bet on high-stake gambling machines in Barnet

5:30pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in News By Natalie O'Neill

More than £330million has been bet at gambling machines in Barnet’s betting shops, according to campaigners calling for Government action.

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling has released figures showing the amount spent on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in every constituency in the UK as part of its new drive to Stop the FOBTs.

FOBTs are betting machines found in bookmakers, which allow the user to bet up to £100 every 20 seconds.

The campaign estimates that between April 2011 and March 2012 a staggering £143,721,521 was poured into the machines in Hendon, while £125,928,082 was spent in Finchley and Golders Green and £65,872,364 in Chipping Barnet.

The figures have been tallied by mapping and analysis firm Geofutures based on data from the Gambling Commission.

The campaign is calling for the Government to reduce the maximum stake which can be bet on these betting machines from £100 to £2 and to slow down the rate of betting at terminals.