There is not a lot of subtlety in the games they design for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). In one, Goddess of the Amazon, badly rendered illustrations of big-breasted women in leather underwear point you towards slot machines you literally have to tap on their crotch to spin the wheel. In another, Rainbow Riches, a leprechaun points you to a wishing well, a fairly on-the-nose metaphor for a game that involves pointlessly chucking coins youll never see again into a hole.
While the games are stupid, the profits they make for the bookmakers are serious. In the year ending September 2016, £1.8bn was wagered on them, including 233,000 sessions where players ended up losing more than £1,000.
There is nothing good about FOBTs. They …
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/27/britain-gambling-problem-nationalise-industry-betting-terminals