British bookmakers would lose hundreds of millions of pounds in revenues if the fixed odds betting terminals located in their shops had their stakes cut from a maximum £100 to £2, as is rumoured.
The inconclusive General Election is seen by most experts as signaling a more aggressive attitude towards stakes and prizes. The ruling Conservative Party has made no views known on FOBTs, but it will now have to do a power-sharing deal with the Democratic Unionist Party from Northern Ireland to secure a House of Commons majority and the DUP has stated its opposition to gambling terminals.
If the stake is cut to £2, says the Daily Telegraph, Ladbrokes Coral could lose £439m in revenue in 208, William Hill £288m and Paddy Power Betfair £58m. These figures come from Barclays Bank, which said that it felt a "base case" would be for the stake to be cut to £25. Shares in the big bookmakers have seen falls since the General Election.
