Ladbrokes Coral, William Hill, Paddy Power Betfair
As soon as the stock market opened yesterday morning, shares prices of the three quoted betting shop operators all jumped. Not because the men in trilbies ended up getting the better of punters during last week’s Cheltenham Festival, but because the Gambling Commission’s formal advice to the government on gaming machines was not nearly as bad for the bookies as expected.
In a 44-page report, the most eye-catching item was the recommendation that the maximum stake on the roulette games played on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) should be cut from £100 to “at or below £30” to reduce the potential for players to lose large amounts of money in a short time. Given the weight of lobbying for