Hell of a gamble

ADDICTED Rotherham punters are gambling almost £70 million a year on betting shop games machines — losing an average of £1,760 each.

The figures are revealed in a new report from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which wants to see the maximum stake on fixed odds betting betting terminals (FOBTs) slashed from £100 to £2.

The CFG estimates that 600 at risk or problem gamblers in Rotherham lost a total of £1.05 million during 2014, with an average loss of £1,760.

Campaigners believe each gaming machine, on which it is possible to gamble £100 on a single 20-second spin, generates an estimated profit of £875 per week for bookmakers — £45,500 per machine annually.

Read the full story in this week’s Advertiser.