Fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are currently the favorite subject for anyone looking to attack the industry as a whole. BBC’s recent Panorama program used the machines as a springboard to launch an offensive against the industry and there are a number who have dubbed them the “crack cocaine” of gambling.
To get more of an idea of what those inside the industry think of them we made it the subject of last week’s poll when we asked readers Are Fixed Odds Betting Terminals Good for Business or Too Open to Criticism?
Coming out in last place with 29 percent of the vote was that machines are Too Open To Criticism.
Being just a two horse race it was obvious to us early on that there was only going to be one winner and coming out in front with 71 percent was Good for Business.
It tells us that those in the industry are perfectly happy with the machines and aren’t particularly worried about any adverse effect they could have. There are a number of problem gambling charities around and the answer is clearly not to simply ban the machines outright. Careful controls over the machines is the way forward for the UK government and those critical of machines and gambling in general only need look at various studies done by the likes of Dr Patrick Basham and Howard Schaeffer to realize gambling can be good for your health.
This week our focus turns back towards the gambling industry’s fastest growing vertical – mobile. We ask which should mobile developers focus on when it comes to apps – native apps, HTML5 or a mix of the two. Check back next week for those all-important answers.
