1/6 The issue here is bookmakers turned themselves into Casinos on the high street (and we let them) with FOBT’s. It removed the protections (and yes land based Casinos needs to tighten up some of those) that were supposed to be in place when using a Casino. Anyone could https://twitter.com/embe14/status/1356577376734482435

2/6 Walk into a bookies on a high street and start playing roulette/slots for high stakes anonymously and with little or no safeguards (£2 max stake helped mitigate that) Land based Casinos are not on every high street and are subject to identification checks to enter together

3/6 With AML laws etc. It would be a hard sell and in my opinion a wrong one to also try and limit stake sizes in them because of what had to be done with FOBT’s and what may be proposed with online. Online is a different animal , there are no barriers to when you can use it

4/6 Should that be spinning away in the toilets during your lunch break at work or sitting alone at 5am in the morning. There is visibility to staff in bricks and mortar of how a customer is behaving none of which comes into play online. I’m not in favour of limiting stake sizes

5/6 Online though as I personally see it as a red herring. If people are able to afford what they are doing let them do it and I see a real danger that stake sizes may be “given into” as some sort of half way measure when it’s not at all. So those that argue for it bear that

6/6 In mind as if it is achieved BUT the offset is affordability sacrificed I think that will do a massive disservice to those who are and may be affected by gambling harm. I’m well aware this viewpoint isn’t shared by all that seek reform and I respect that but it’s mine