UK Slot Machines Limited To £2 Cause Increase In Online Slots Gambling

**Loki** · 06-11-2019, 05:57 PM

In 2018, the British government, after years of deliberation and focus on the issue, decided to limit the maximum stake on all fixed odds gambling machines to just £2. It was a decision made largely in an effort to face a rapidly rising surge in problem gambling, an addiction that affects thousands across the UK and, in the worst scenarios, can lead to homelessness and even death. You can click to learn more about gambling and its influence online at the previous link.

Previous slot machine gambling

Before it was limited players could stake as much as £100 every 20 seconds on the slot machines, whilst this meant that a select few could make some astronomical winnings, it also meant that a far larger number of gamblers could stand to lose a lot of money. The problem gets exponentially worse when players start to try and chase their losses – in a matter of minutes you could be a thousand pounds down, and this can snowball as the gambling session goes on.

So, although the drop from £100 to £2 is huge, it is a sensible decision by the government in their attempts to quell the rise of problem gambling. The Gambling Commission had actually suggested a maximum of £30, but the government went one step further in tackling the epidemic, taking a hard-line stance and implementing the £2 maximum. It’s fair to say a lot of people weren’t too happy about this, not least companies such as William Hill that announced that thousands of jobs would be lost as a result. Surely worth it in the fight against problem gambling though right?

Well, it certainly is not as black and white as that. Whilst the UK slot machine limit of £2 almost completely cut out the possibility of losing serious amounts of money on the slots it has also had unseen consequences across the many facets of the gambling sphere, from sport betting to online casino. For many people a £2 maximum just does not cut it, part of the appeal of gambling is the exhilarating possibility of losing cash after all. So, instead of throwing £100 at a physical slot, some gamblers will now go and throw £1000 at a horse instead, actually serving to exacerbate the problem.

In the same way, UK slot machines limited to £2 have caused a massive increase in online slots gambling; no surprise there as online slots are not limited in the same way. Moreover, these video slots are so much easier to play on a practical level, mainly because you can spin the reels from the comfort of your own home. They can also, as a result of flashing graphics and exhilarating themes, be even more addictive than their physical counterparts. The question therefore gets even more complicated, is the £2 UK slot machine limit really a good thing?

Ultimately only time will tell if it is an effective defence against the problem gambling epidemic. One thing is for sure though; the £2 limit has undeniably caused an increase in online slots gambling.