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A fixed odds betting terminal (FOBT, sometimes pronounced 'fob-tee') is a type of electronic slot machine normally found in betting shops in the United Kingdom and introduced in 2001. The terminals allow players to bet on the outcome of various games and events which have fixed odds, with the theoretical percentage return to player (RTP) displayed on the machine by law.^[1] Like all casino games, the 'house' (i.e. the betting shop) has a built-in advantage. Typically, slot machine FOBTs have an RTP of 90% to 94% depending on the chosen stake, and standard roulette FOBTs have a long-term average RTP of 97%.

The most commonly played game is roulette. The minimum amount wagered per spin is £1 and the maximum is £100. The largest single payout cannot exceed £500 and this can limit the wager size e.g. the maximum wager on a single number on roulette at odds of 35:1 is £14.^[2]Token coins can be of value as low as five pence in some UK licensed betting offices (LBOs).^{[citation needed]} Other games include bingo, simulated horseracing and greyhound racing, and a range of slot machine games.

In May 2018, the national government agreed with a reform campaign to cut the maximum bet for some games from £100 to £2. The terminals allegedly lead some players into problem gambling. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced the policy change.^[3] The change was due to come into effect in October 2018, but the government bowed to pressure, and delayed it until April 2019.^[4]

1. FOBT slots feature heavily on the main screen of betting terminals, and often have three or four categories just to list them all. Ladbrokes FOBTs have around 40 slots with various jackpots, with William Hill having slightly less at around 30. Do due gambling laws, FOBT slots have limited stakes and maximum jackpot amounts of £500 per spin.
2. Rainbow King is a random fruit / slot machine from Novamatic. It was released in the U.K. In late 2011 and featured as a promotional game in William Hill bookies. The pushing of this game on the main screen of the fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT's) helped to raise the games profile amongst slot machine players.

Machines[edit]

FOBTs typically include a touchscreen and a slot for depositing cash. The major hardware manufacturers for the UK market are Scientific Games Corporation and Inspired Gaming.^[5]

Legislation[edit]

United Kingdom[edit]

Under current UK legislation, these machines are allowed to offer content classed as Category B2, Category B3 as well as Category C content. The main article tabulates the legal maximum stakes and payouts.

Shops are allowed up to four terminals, although this number also includes traditional slot machines. Most shops favour the new FOBTs over the traditional slot machines. The Gambling Commission reports that there were 33,319 FOBTs in Britain's betting offices between October 2011 and September 2012.^[6]

FOBTs have been criticised due to the potential for addiction when playing the machines. They have been dubbed the 'crack cocaine' of gambling by critics.^[7][8] In response to this criticism, in 2014 bookmakers represented by the Association of British Bookmakers introduced the facility for customers to set time and money limits when using FOBTs.^[9] In October 2017, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport began studying the possibility of reducing the £100 maximum bet limit^[10] and a decision was made in May 2018 to limit the maximum bet to £2.^[11] This new maximum bet limit came into effect on 1 April 2019. Multiple bookmakers argued that the resultant loss of revenue could force them to downsize their high street operations (with the industry estimating that 2,100 shops could be collectively closed): in July 2019, William Hill announced plans to close 700 shops, primarily citing the new regulation. MP Tracey Crouch countered these arguments, noting that industry statistics showed downward trends in revenue from physical betting shops in favour of online betting, even before the restriction came into effect.^[12]

Scotland[edit]

As a result of the Scottish Referendum on Independence on 18 September 2014, The Smith Commission convened, led by Lord Smith of Kelvin KT. On 27 November 2014 the Report of the Smith Commission for further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament was published.^[13] Page 22 under the heading 'Betting, Gaming and Lotteries' states 'The Scottish Parliament will have the power to prevent the proliferation of Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals'. All five main parties (SNP, Greens, Conservative, Labour, Liberal) agreed the terms of the report. Devolution of this power to the Scottish Parliament will be enacted through the UK parliament in due course. Page 11 of the report states: 'The UK government has undertaken to produce draft clauses implementing' ... this and ... 'will publish these clauses by 25th Jan 2015'.

Northern Ireland[edit]

There are over 900 FOBTs in operation in Northern Ireland, but campaign group Fairer Gambling argues that they may not be legal under Northern Irish law, as the Gambling Act 2005 only applies in England, Wales and Scotland. In 2015 the Department for Social Development said that only a judge could rule on their legality.^[14]

Republic of Ireland[edit]

A 2008 betting review in the Republic of Ireland ruled that the machines should not be introduced in Irish betting shops but would be allowed in casinos.^[15]

Money laundering[edit]

It is claimed FOBTs are used for money laundering by paying cash into the terminal, making low-risk bets which involve a small relative loss, and withdrawing most of the proceeds as a voucher which is exchanged for cash at the shop counter.^[16] Changes in the UKGC regulators code have sought to eradicate the potential for money laundering.^[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Compliance/Sector-specific-compliance/Arcades-and-machines/Gaming-machine-categories/B2-gaming-machines.aspx%7C
2. ^Bowers, Simon (9 May 2005). 'Roulette machines blamed for rise in gambling addiction'. The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
3. ^Davies, Rob (17 May 2018) 'Maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals cut to £2'. The Guardian.
4. ^BBC News (14th November 2018) 'Gambling machine climbdown means new rules go ahead in April'BBC News
5. ^FOI request to Gambling Commission https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/fixed_odds_betting_terminals_2
6. ^Gambling industry statistics April 2009 to September 2012 http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/Industry%20Statistics%20-%20June%202013.pdf
7. ^Coyle, Simon (25 January 2013). 'Rochdale stakes £72m on gambling machines'.
8. ^'Roulette machines: the crack cocaine of gambling'. The Guardian. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
9. ^BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26378026
10. ^Cheetham, Joshua; Palumbo, Daniele (31 October 2017). 'Bookies brace for possible sales hit'. Retrieved 1 November 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
11. ^'Betting machine stakes cut to £2'. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
12. ^Davies, Rob (2019-07-04). 'A quarter of UK betting shops could close, with 12,000 jobs at risk'. The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
13. ^'The Smith Commission'. The Smith Commission.
14. ^'Only judge can decide on legality of raft of NI betting machines'. www.newsletter.co.uk.
15. ^'Gambling committee chief opposes betting machines'. The Irish Times. 10 October 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
16. ^The Guardian, 9 November 2013, The gambling machines helping drug dealers 'turn dirty money clean'
17. ^UKGC: Licence conditions and codes of practice

Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are quite common in the UK. They’re available at many betting shops throughout the country.

Assuming you’re not from the UK, though, then you probably won’t have any experience with FOBTs. Furthermore, you may wonder what it’s like to play one of these machines.

If you’re a gambler who’s thinking about visiting the UK someday, you may be interested in the following guide. This page discusses the FOBT scene, how to play these machines, and what kind of winnings are available.

The Typical FOBT Scene

Fixed-odds betting terminals are exclusive to the UK gambling scene. You can visit the nearest betting shop to find these games.

Upon walking in, you’ll see up to four fixed odds terminals. The country’s national gambling laws dictate that each shop can have a maximum of four FOBTs.

These games appear similar to slot machines found in casinos throughout the UK and beyond. However, the cabinets look a little different than the average slot.

You normally won’t have too much trouble finding an open machine at a nearby shop. However, peak lunchtime and evening hours may be a different story.

Luckily, many UK cities have betting establishments on nearly every corner. You can always move along to the next shop if you can’t find an available game.

How to Play FOBTs

Assuming you’ve played any slot machine before, you won’t have trouble getting started with fixed-odds terminals. Even if you haven’t, though, you should find the playing process rather easy.

• Everything begins with inserting money into the machine. For instance, you might put £20 into the note acceptor.
• Next, you need to choose your bet size. If you sit down to a roulette FOBT, for example, you may be able to wager between 10p and £2.
• After selecting the stake, you need to choose a specific bet or action. Roulette and virtual horse racing are two games that give you plenty of choices when it comes to wagers. Actions come into play into the fold when you’re playing a blackjack FOBT. Here, you must decide whether to hit, stand, split (with pairs), or double down (when available).
• The next step is to start the round. You’ll see a button that reads “Deal” or “Play.” Once you push this button, the FOBT will play out the round unless additional actions are required.

Following a round, you can select “Replay” to use the same exact bet and stake size. Or you can choose “Clear” to make a new selection before beginning the next round.

If you have any questions about a particular game, you can always consult the info screen. This section shows information on the game rules, betting process, and more.

What Kind of Payouts Can You Win?

Unlike slot machines, FOBTs don’t give you an opportunity to win enormous amounts of money. Instead, the maximum amount that you can win is £500.

You won’t even have a chance at this kind of money with most games. After all, Parliament reduced stakes to a maximum of £2 in 2019.

Their goal with this move was to protect problem gamblers. In the process, though, they put a huge damper on the FOBT scene.

If you make even-money bets in roulette, for example, you’ll only be able to risk and win up to £2. In the best-case scenario, you’ll bet £2 on a single number and win back £70.

Virtual betting, like horse racing, slots, and bingo FOBTs give you an opportunity to hit bigger payouts. But again, the most you can look forward to with these games is £500.

RTP on FOBTs

With regard to RTP, fixed-odds betting terminals are quite similar to slots in land-based casinos. Slots FOBTs generally offer between 90% and 95% RTP.

These payout percentages aren’t amazing in the general scheme of gaming. But they’re at least in line with what you can expect when playing slot machines in UK casinos.

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Roulette and blackjack terminals offer the highest payback in the market. European Roulette FOBTs deliver 97.3% RTP no matter which bet you make.

Blackjack fixed-odds terminals feature variable payback depending upon the rules. On average, though, you can look forward to between 98% and 99.5% RTP with these games.

You should consult the aforementioned info screen if you’re interested in learning the payout percentage for a given game. Some developers list the RTP in this section.

FOBTs vs. Online Casino Games

Fixed odds terminals offer electronic games just like online casinos. However, they also feature the following differences from internet casino games.

Not as Convenient

One big reason why FOBTs have become so popular is that they’re more accessible than land-based casino games. As mentioned before, betting shops are found on many street corners throughout the UK.

You can easily walk to a nearby shop in most cities. Brick and mortar casinos, in contrast, are much more spread out.

However, betting shops don’t come close to matching the convenience of gaming sites. The latter are accessible through a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

You don’t need to go anywhere to play real money online casino games. You do at least have to walk out the door to visit a betting venue.

The Social Element

Why on earth would anybody want to leave home to play casino games when they could just grab their smartphone or tablet? The answer is because betting shops offer social elements that online casinos can’t always match.

When you visit a local shop, you can chat with the workers and fellow players. Even better, you could bring a friend and play next to them.

You’re probably not going to meet any new buddies at betting establishments. However, you’ll at least enjoy a live atmosphere with people around while you gamble.

Lower Maximum Stakes

Fixed-odds gaming used to be fairly competitive with internet gaming in terms of stake ranges. Just a couple of years ago, you could risk up to a maximum of £100 on these machines.

But UK lawmakers voted to severely reduce the max bet sizes. Now, the most you can wager in one round is £2. Some gamblers consider this bet size to be low stakes.

Meanwhile, online casinos often allow you to bet up to £100 on slots and £500 on blackjack and roulette. If you’re looking for high roller play, you’re definitely not going to find it in a betting shop.

No Bonuses

Some shops may offer comp programs for players. However, they’re not going to give you a large welcome bonus for playing at their establishments.

This aspect differs greatly from online casinos, which frequently offer bonuses. The most common deal includes a match deposit bonus.

Here’s an example on how these work:

• A casino offers a 100% match bonus worth up to £250.
• You deposit £125.
• You qualify for a £125 bonus.

Of course, you won’t be able the cash out the $125 right away. Instead, you need to meet terms and conditions before withdrawing the funds.

Internet casinos expect you to work to get these bonuses. But they at least give you an opportunity to make extra money on the side, whereas FOBTs don’t.

Conclusion

Overall, fixed-odds betting terminals are quite easy for the average gambler to learn. They feature simple gameplay and even info screens that provide additional help.

Assuming you’re experienced with slots, then you’ll be able to walk right into a betting shop and start enjoying FOBTs immediately. Even if you’re not, you’ll still have relatively little trouble playing these machines.

Fixed-odds terminals are available in abundance throughout the UK. You can find them on virtually every major street in the country.

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Unfortunately, you can’t bet and win as much as in the past due to recent regulations. But you should still have fun with FOBTs even if it’s for low stakes.

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