Betting machines can swallow a whole family’s daily income in less than a quarter of an hour, an ECHO investigation can reveal.
Fixed-odds machines or FOBTs have been dubbed the “crack cocaine” of gambling, with critics alarmed by how swiftly they can hoover up cash and fears they could be addictive.
John Myers, whose son killed himself in shame at his gambling addiction in 2014, called the rapid losses “horrendous” and said the machines shouild be banned altogether.
Gamblers plough an extraordinary £1.2bn a year into the machines in betting shops across Merseyside, according to campaigners’ figures released last year.
So the ECHO decided to find out if the machines really are, as the assistant mayor says, “ripping people off across the city”.
What the investigation was all about
ECHO reporter Paul Philbin volunteered to see how long he could hold out against the odds on one of the machines at a William Hill on Stanley Road.
The betting shop falls within the Liverpool’s central Riverside constituency - which figures show has more machines than almost anywhere else in the country.
But the area is also one of the poorest in Britain, with families getting by in Kirkdale on just £65 a day on average in pay or benefits.
So our reporter took £65 with him to see just how easy it was to lose the amount people live on.
What our reporter discovered
Paul walked into the bookies with a wad of cash at around 4pm - and walked out with his pockets completely empty just 13 minutes and 45 seconds later.
He started out by putting about a tenner on a large spread of random numbers on the 20p Roulette game at 35/1, and then another tenner on a third of the board - but lost the lot in two minutes.
He got a win on his next turn after picking his favourite numbers, pocketing just under £29.
He then tried his hand at Blackjack, and thought his luck was in when he won £15 in a few minutes from two good hands.
Virtual Sprint horse-racing was the next game he tried, putting a £10 winning stake on two horses at 4/1 first and then at 10/1 - but both finished last.
Keen to recoup his losses, he moved onto Bonus Roulette - where a win allows you to move to another board that can double or treble your winnings.
But his cash rapidly dwindled - and the £65 had vanished in less than the length of the average lunchbreak.
Why the findings are “scary”
Paul said after coming out of the shop: “A few years ago I’d go into the bookies of a Saturday morning to put my football bet on. If I had a few quid on me I’d put it in the machine, and try to get up to a round number like £10.
“Then I started putting my football bets online, and stopped putting spare change in the machines. So to go back on them and see how quick money can be lost was scary.”
Liverpool’s assistant mayor Nick Small has slammed the machines after figures showed Liverpool had lost the most cash on them of anywhere in the North West.
He previously told the ECHO: “It’s not for nothing that FOBTs have been dubbed the crack cocaine of gambling. These machines are dangerous and ripping off people across the city.
“They need to be banned. It’s like having unregulated casinos in every high street in the country. This is a problem spiralling out of control in Liverpool.”
How FOBTS have been involved in tragedies
Many people enjoy betting small amounts on the machines, with bookmakers strongly denying they are addictive - and one punter claiming he had won £300 at the Stanley Road betting shop.
But gamblers at a Williamson Square bookies told the Sunday People last year they had seen others trying to smash them up over big losses - and there have even been some rare tragedies.
Ryan Myers, a 27-year-old carpenter from Huyton, hanged himself on the same day he lost hundreds of pounds on a machine in 2014.
He left a tragic Facebook message shortly before he took his life in shame at his losses and payday loan debts he racked up, apologising for “letting people down”.
His dad John, who now campaigns against gambling adverts, said: “These machines eat up your money - the time it takes is unbelievable, it’s horrendous. Once you lose you think you can win it back, chase your losses and before you know it your money’s gone.
“They should be banned and thrown in the Mersey, but we hope the government will at least limit the stakes.”
Another incident saw 19-year-old Sam Harrison jailed for stabbing a Huyton newsagent during an attempted robbery, after frittering away £530 of his dad’s cash on a machine in 2012.
What the bookmakers and the government say
A British Bookmakers’ Association spokesman said: “These have been in betting shops for 15 years, and are there because the overwhelming majority of customers enjoy playing them. They are one of the most popular things.
“Betting shops are safe places to enjoy betting. We have several measures in place to promote responsible gambling - customers are able to set a limit on the time and amount they bet, and there is a mandatory £150, 20 minute limit. You can’t do that in any other venue, and you can lose more in an amusement arcade.”
The industry says the shops also provide many jobs, and suggest a £2 max stake suggested by some critics would put those at risk.
The government introduced some new regulations in 2015, and the results of its latest review of the controversial issue are expected in the next few months.
