Parliamentary Betting & Gaming Group to look at Future of Gaming Machines

The Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group is to focus on gaming machines in the next installment of its ‘Future of Gambling Seminar Series’.

Held on Monday 7 th June 2016, Future of Gaming Machines features speakers including BACTA CEO John White, IGT Senior Director for Europe Simon Dorsen, and John Appleton, Director of Electronic Leisure at Mitchells & Butler.

Steve Donoughue, gambling consultant and Secretariat of the All Party Betting Gaming Group, said:

“The British gaming machine sector has been in decline with the number of AGCs and FECs falling every year for the last five years. The sale of new gaming machines had been stable for the last few years but between 2013/14 and 2014/15 there was a massive decline of almost a third.

“Fortunately overall numbers of machines has stayed stable due to increases in Category C machines. To put this in context though, the total number of machines is 28.7% less than it was ten years ago. Some of this is obviously structural, but the Gambling Act and the disappearance of the triennial reviews for a number of years have all taken their toll.”

White, of the coin-op trade association BACTA, commented: “I am delighted to be speaking at this seminar, as it gives me a great opportunity to share some of the views that BACTA has about the future of gaming machines.  There is a number of challenges facing the industry, but equally for those that are creative and progressive there could be some very exciting times ahead.

“Clearly we need to sort out some immediate issues that are affecting the industry, such as the stake on FOBTs and get the Triennial Review underway.  But it will be from this that we will persuade the government to allow us to develop new ideas and encourage innovation across the industry.  Only in this way will we develop more exciting games and attract a new generation of customers that are essential for our future prosperity.”

The mission statement of the Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group is ‘To act as a forum for the discussion of issues concerning betting and gaming in the UK’. This seminar series is aimed specifically at providing the platform for an educated and informed exchange of views and issues.

If you wish to attend one of the seminars please contact the Secretariat of the APBGG, Steve Donoughue at [email protected].