Newsflash: Maximum FOBT stake reduction will take place in October 2019

The Budget 2018 policy paper has confirmed that we were correct in our interpretation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement today in relation to the date of reduction of maximum FOBT stakes from £100 to £2, namely October 2019.

Paragraph 4.16 of the policy paper states as follows (with our emphasis in bold):

Remote Gaming Duty – As announced in May 2018, in order to ensure funding for public services is maintained following the implementation of a £2 maximum stake on B2 machine games, the rate of Remote Gaming Duty will increase to 21%. Both the reduction in maximum stake and increased duty rate will come into effect in October 2019.

This is in line with the Guardian newspaper’s report of 26 October 2018, forecasting that the government would delay until October 2019 implementation of its reduction of the maximum FOBT stake.

Pre-dating the Budget announcement by six days, the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper focusing on the controversy over fixed odds betting terminals, that can be downloaded below.