The story broke in the Times – and made reference to fellow Tory Boris Johnson and his public concerns around the £100 a spin machines.
It revealed that the The Department for Culture, Media and Sport had proposed a review of the machines, which made £1.6bn for thebookies in the year to September 2014, a £45m rise on the previous 12 months.
However, the proposal was blocked by the Cabinet Office, in a move that Tory MPs say was sanctioned by Number 10.
Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, said the decision flew in the face of mounting concerns among fellow Conservatives.
"There are a growing number of colleagues on our benches who are concerned about FOBTs," Walker said. "I would have very much welcomed a review. I don't like the idea of them, I don't like the way they operate and I don't like the way that the betting industry tries to defend them.
"We all know what they are — they are a way of extracting vast sums of money from people who can mostly ill- afford to lose it."
The story also made headlines in Totally Gaming, BBC Kent and the Christian Institute.
No comments:
Post a Comment