Gamblers lose £45m on fixed odds machines in Black Country and Staffordshire within 12 months

The region's punters fed the staggering amount into fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), which allow gamblers to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds on games such as roulette, fruit machines and blackjack.

The figures have prompted local authorities and MPs from across the region to call for stricter regulations on the use of FOBTs, which campaigners say is spiralling out of control.

It comes after a leaked document suggested Theresa May had called for a review of the machines, dubbed 'the crack cocaine of gambling'. The figures, which were compiled using data from the bookmakers' industry, have been released by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). They show the amount staked in FOBTs across the region has risen by 3.7 per cent over the last year.

MORE: Leaders unite to call for action over fixed odds betting machines

A total of £81,841,698 was gambled on the machines in betting shops in Staffordshire alone, with punters losing £16.4m.

In Sandwell's 51 bookies £44,880,932 was gambled, with losses of around £9m. Almost £37m went into machines in Wolverhampton's 42 betting shops, £7.4m of which was lost. Dudley saw £31,680,658 staked and £6.3m lost in its 34 shops, while in Walsall the stake figure was £30,800,639 with £6.1m lost.

Adrian Parkinson, a former gambling industry executive who now runs the CFG, said: "As a consequence of FOBTs we now see a harder form of gambling on the high street than ever before.

"If you play roulette at a casino it can take several minutes for an event to take place. Playing the same game on a machine can take seconds. It is all geared towards fast action.

"We want to see measures brought in to reduce harm, such as bringing in a reduced stake."

The Association of British Bookmakers has denied that FOBTs encourage 'problem gambling'.