You have probably heard a story about the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals. One of the top online bookmakers William Hill had to close around 700 betting shops all around the country because of the new rule, taking millions of pounds in loses.
It is a sad moment for a bookie, but the measure was needed to fight gambling addiction and problematic customers. The British Gambling Commission claimed it lacks resources required for making a change for the best, estimated at around £70m annually.
Surprisingly, owners of industry-leading companies like
Ladbrokes, Coral,
Betfair and William Hill took a stand. They offered a voluntary increase in the donation share for gambling charities. A respectful move includes raising the gambling levy from 0.1% to 1% over the next couple of years, increasing the funding somewhere to 100 million pounds on an annual basis.
Bookmakers also promised to revise the amount of safe gambling messaging and their approach to the style & intensity of their advertising campaigns.
Let’s hope that the promise will be kept and more good would be done for the community.