Slot machines are enormously popular and are some of the most played on games in the UK whether this is in their physical form in a land-based casino or as an online slots game thanks to the internet. But November 2019, saw the dramatic change in the maximum betting limit being altered by the Government from £100 to just £2. With high street bookies taking over 50% of their revenue from slots machines, this new and hugely decreased limit is set to have a worrying effect on their businesses. Many bookies and land-based casinos are already worried that their loss of income from the much loved and much to play on slots games will mean that they will have to close their doors to the public in a very short space of time. The Government have been made aware of this but still stand firm in their decision to make a change to the gambling restrictions when it comes to the maximum bet levels, as they think that by doing so, the most vulnerable members of society will be protected.
Online Slots Machines
As of yet, the online gaming community have not been affected by this new law that has been implemented. But will it be long before the online slots games are targeted by the Government and the Gambling Association, too? This has not been made clear but it seems that having made changes to the land-based slots games limits, all sorts of other angles are being looked in to in gambling industry. This includes the National Lottery where the age limit for purchasing a ticket stands as 16 years of age. But this is apparently going to be looked in to and may also be altered to protect the younger members of society and try and prevent them from getting into gambling at such a young age. Whether this becomes a more in-depth age checking process for people of 16 years old or whether the age limit may be increased has not been discussed, but the turn of the decade may see lots of unexpected changed in the gambling world.
Land-Based UK Slots Limited
With the limit of the land-based UK slots being altered to a significantly lower rate, the high street betting shops will be hit hard. As there is a current annual taking of £1.8 billion from high street bookmakers just from slot machines alone, this is set to have an enormous impact. With many betting shops facing the big decision as to whether they should close their doors before they get themselves into financial difficulty, there is also the issue of the number of jobs that will be lost in the process. With many people out of work, there will be an increase in people claiming unemployment and some ex-employees may end up unable to look after their families, pay their bills or mortgages. As there are over 33,600 known betting shops spread across the UK, this would be a significant number of people out of work if there was only one person working per betting shop, but the likelihood of there being just one worker per shop is low which increases the problem. So who do the Government really think they are protecting here?
Traditional to Online Slots
With a big change already having occurred previously to this change in the betting limit, the traditional style of physical slots machines and the locations they are most commonly found in have suffered hugely. As the internet and the advancements in technology have seen many people altering their gaming habits to playing online slots games instead of going into the bookies, the bricks and mortar casinos or playing in a bar, they have already taken a big hit which has cost them dearly in more ways than one. Many high street chains have tried to increase their own revenue by diversifying and taking their gaming activities online but this has not been a possibility for everyone. With the gambling sector being one of the wealthiest and growing in size every year, there is some hope the gambling and gaming communities, players and providers.
Online Slots
Many people have made the jump already to the world of online gaming as there are many advantages to playing online and it also, thankfully, now helps them to avoid the lower betting limit of £2 which is hugely restrictive to playing the games of choice for some many different gamers. But online slots have been helpful for many gamers because they are so convenient and allow them to be able to play their slots games of choice from literally any location, as well as at any time of the day or night. Popular with commuters, students and shift workers, online slots games can be accessed at any time and no opening and closing time requirements have to be taken into consideration before you can play your favourite slots games. There is also an enormously wide range of different slots games that can be played. If you are not enjoying a game or it is not seemingly paying out, then you don’t have to look for to be able to find another slots game for you to play on instead.
Affected By Betting Limit Changes
If you are affected by the alteration to the betting limits of land-based slots machines then you have multiple options for the future. You can either continue playing on these machines but bet in £2 quantities each time, or you can see if your high street betting shop has an online slots site that you can transfer your business to so that you can continue to support them. If neither of these are an option for you, then why not see if you can find a slots site online that caters to all of your needs so that you can continue to play your favourite slots games without being limited to a £2. You are not being stopped from playing slots game entirely, you just need to find a different way of playing them.
