HC Deb 26 January 1996 vol 270 cc471-2W
Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of(a) the population and (b) 16 to 24-year-olds who are addicted to gambling on fruit machines. [11754]

Mr. Kirkhope

There are no official statistics on the use of gaming machines.

Research has tended to focus on machine gaming by adolescents. It is not possible to estimate from existing research the incidence of problem gambling specifically on amusement-with-prizes—fruit—machines in the national population or in young adults.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the level of addition to gambling on fruit machines, with particular reference to young people. [11755]

Mr.Kirkhope

Following consultation, on 11 December 1995, I laid in draft the Deregulation (Gaming Machines and Betting Office Facilities) Order 1996. This measure, which is currently being scrutinised by the deregulation committees, would, for the first time, give local authorities power to impose an age limit in arcades which install proposed all-cash amusement-with-prizes machines with a maximum payout of £10. Young people under 18 would not be allowed access to these new machines in arcades. Elsewhere, these machines would be allowed only in premises to which children have restricted access—liquor licensed premises, bingo clubs, casinos and betting offices.

It is expected that most arcades will switch to the cash machine which should go some way towards alleviating the problem of addiction amongst those under 18.

Local authorities already have powers to ban fruit machines from premises such as cafes and leisure centres.