The amount of money people can place on a single online slots bet will be restricted as part of a wider government overhaul to tackle gambling addiction.
A £5 per spin limit will apply to all adults aged 25 and over with a £2 per spin limit for 18 to 24-year-olds.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is also set to increase taxes on gambling companies to fund addiction treatment.
Addiction to online gambling slots has started since the Covid times, according to data from charity GamCare. Meanwhile, the NHS has said it is treating more people with gambling problems, with its latest figures showing referrals have more than doubled on the same period last year.
Gambling Minister, Fiona Twycross said:
We think that the aim of introducing stake limits for online slots was to protect those at risk, with a particular focus on young adults. Gambling harm can ruin people’s finances, relationships, and ultimately lives. The government would introduce the first legally mandated tax on the betting industry to fund gambling addiction treatment.
The Betting and Gaming Council, the industry lobby group, said it had given £170m to fund gambling harm services over the past four years on a voluntary basis.
However, the government said that, currently not all gambling companies contributed equally, “with some operators paying as little as £1 a year towards research, prevention and treatment”.
Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, said:
We have supported the government’s proposals. This announcement is just a sign that the government is at risk of losing perspective of these facts, while simply dancing to the tune of anti-gambling prohibitionists, which serves no one.
Half of the money raised is to go on directly NHS care, 30% will be spent on public health campaigns and other prevention measures, and the remaining 20% will be spent on research, the government said.
Mark Weiss, deputy chief executive of GamCare, welcomed the government’s proposals:
Having witnessed a steep rise in our helpline callers citing difficulties with online slots, GamCare further welcomes the introduction of new youth-focussed stake limits – an important step in preventing future harm.
