West Midlands gamblers lose £112m through fixed odds in year

According to the latest estimates released by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, the staggering amount was lost in fixed odds machines in 2014 alone, with £45 million coming from 'at risk' or 'problem' gamblers.

The machines are high-speed, high-stakes electronic gaming terminals found in betting shops, which allow a person to risk as much as £100 on a single 20-second spin.

They were introduced in the UK in 2001, with most bookmakers shops now favouring them over traditional roulette machines.

According to the new figures, gamblers in Wolverhampton lost £7,153,237 through using the machines, while in Walsall the total came to £4,552,060.

In Dudley, £3,414,045 was sunk into the machines and in Staffordshire £1,950,858 was lost.

The data also reveals that an estimated £1.5 billion was lost on these machines nationally last year.

Adrian Parkinson, consultant for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, has encouraged politicians to reduce the permitted stake players are allowed to place in a single spin on such machines.

He said: "In this general election year, politicians really need to wake up to the devastating effect these machines are having on communities up and down the country.

"There is one simple and effective way to reduce the harm of these machines without the need for primary legislation – reducing the maximum stake from £100 to £2."

There are an estimated 35,347 fixed odds machines in the UK, each of which generates an estimated profit of £875 per week for bookmakers – or £45,500 per year, per machine.

The West Midlands is estimated to have 104,632 users of the machines in total, 22,914 of whom are deemed to be 'at risk' or 'problem' gamblers.

Wolverhampton has the highest population, with an estimated 1,463 living in the city.