Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

Assessing the effectiveness of the Code of Practice for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, and the individual elements within it, in providing protection against problem gambling.

In November 2003 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Gaming Board of Great Britain and the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) agreed a Code of Practice for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).

The ABB and DCMS agreed that research was needed on effectiveness of the Code. A research brief was therefore agreed between ABB and DCMS. MORI and Europe Economics were awarded the contract, and the research was undertaken between April and December 2004. The research aims to assess the effectiveness of the FOBT Code of Practice, and the individual elements within it, in providing protection against problem gambling.

Technical Details

The survey was broken down into three stages:

Stage 1: Qualitative exploratory research via eight group discussions across four locations:

  • Average of nine respondents attended each group (73 respondents in total)
  • Respondents recruited in:
    • Betting shops
    • Pubs
    • Amusement arcades
    • Casinos
  • To ensure a good cross-section of gamblers were included, quota controls were set during the recruitment stage on:
    • Age
    • Social class (working vs. not working)
    • Types of gambling activities in which they were involved (e.g. betting machines, fruit machines, betting shop customers, casino users, etc.)
    • Problem gamblers vs. non-problem gamblers
  • The exploratory phase was used to add to our knowledge and understanding of the market and to inform the quantitative stages to follow

Stage 2: MORI Omnibus research among a representative sample of British adults.

  • Questions were placed on six sequential waves of the MORI Omnibus survey
  • Waves 1 & 2 among mass market gamblers to include:
    • All forms of the National Lottery/lottery
    • Scratch cards/instants
    • Football pools
    • Bingo
  • Waves 3 to 6 were carried among betting & gaming players/users
  • Approximately 2,000 respondents approached during each wave (11,988 in total). Of which, 2,241 respondents gamble at least once a month
  • Interviewing took place face-to-face in the respondent's home
  • Fieldwork took place between 24th June and 3rd August 2004
  • Key objectives of this phase of the research were to identify the following:
    • Gambling activities and reasons for gambling
    • Awareness, use and frequency of different forms of gambling

Stage 3: A Betting Shop study with customers to selected betting shops across Great Britain:

  • Survey carried out among a random sample of 945 betting shop customers
  • Interviews carried out face-to-face across 43 different betting shops carefully selected and geographically spread around England, Scotland and Wales
  • Betting shops included in the sample were selected on the basis of market share
  • A total of two seven hour interviewing shifts were carried out at each betting shop selected
  • One assignment was carried out on a Thursday and the other on a Friday or a Saturday
  • Fieldwork took place between 24th June and 3rd October 2004
  • Key objectives of this phase of research were to identify;
    • Gambling activities and reasons for gambling
    • Spend on gambling
    • Awareness, frequency of use, games used and spend on Betting Machines
    • Awareness, knowledge and views of the new Code of Practice relating to Betting Machines

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