News

UK bookies, betting shops at odds over ATMs

July 9, 2013

The Association of British Bookmakers says it's irresponsible. But the large U.K. betting shop chain Betfred — not an ABB member — says it has every intention of keeping its in-store ATMs.

According to This is Money, the ABB currently is in the process of drafting a "responsible gambling code" that would ban ATMs from the shops of its membership.

However, a Betfred spokesman took exception to the ABB's logic. 

"I'd be interested to see how many of the chains which say they wouldn't have cash machines in shops still accept payments ... from debit cards. And what about newsagents which have ATMs right next to the National Lottery terminal?"

The spokesman said the ATMs were used in high-traffic shops that did not have cash machines close by.

Parliament member David Lammy said that if bookies were serious about responsible gambling, they wouldn't allow gamblers to spend up to their overdraft limit at the betting shop.

"I have no problem with the occasional flutter," he said, "but cash machines don't suggest just the occasional flutter."

Read more about retail and off-premises ATMs.