Everyone knows how appallingly destructive an addiction to gambling can be, but alcohol is still on the market, and so are cigarettes, a much, much more harmful thing to get caught up in. I don’t approve of the wretched contraptions at all. Limiting the fruit machine payouts to £2 will achieve nothing anyway most likely.
Several years ago, the smoking ban had one unintentional, under-reported outcome. It pushed many bingo players out of the bingo halls and into online bingo instead. Online bingo now, does a prosperous trade. People play at home all day long while they puff away.
Bingo is hardly in the same group as fruit machines, but then again it is what happened to the bingo players when the Government intervened that says an awful lot.
If bingo players move online for the reason that they are prevented from smoking, what do you think somebody wanting to bet for high odds may do? Might they continue to sit at those fruit machines, disappointed at the measly £2 pay-out, but no longer wasting their cash away thanks to these proposed changes? Or might they, like the bingo players, do as they were doing before, but online? In a far more dangerous and high stakes environment where no one can see them either. It’s just much more risky.
It’s simply amazing that people haven’t seen this coming. If people are genuine and serious about dealing with a gambling addiction, then they should address the craving of the gambler who has the problem and wants to gamble it all away.
Until these changes happen, you may wish to have a fruit machine in your establishment, to bring in more customers and gain that old fashioned light show in the corner of every vintage and even modern pub.
We offer a variety of Fruit Machines to hire, rent or profit share including the latest models from Bell Fruit, Barcrest and other major manufacturers.
We can advise you on the best Fruit Machine for your needs, along with the necessary statutory requirements such as MGD registration and local authority permits.
All of our Fruit Machines are fitted with note acceptors as standard.