Published: 20 December, 2013
by TOM FOOT

ED Miliband vowed to “stand up to the betting industry” and halt the growth of high stakes gambling on the high street if he is elected Prime Minister.

The Labour leader walked around Kilburn High Road with Parliamentary candidate Tulip Siddiq and Shadow Sports Minister Clive Efford this morning (Friday).

He said Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) – quickfire cash-taking casino machines described as the crack cocaine of gambling – were part of a new betting “epidemic” that was causing “debt and misery” in the most deprived communities.

He told the New Journal: “We want to not just stop the growth of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, but to ban them completely. So many councils, so many people are saying they are causing debt and misery and are a magnet for crime and anti social behaviour. We have to stop the high street becoming a place for high cost gambling – that is what these FOB have allowed.”

He added: “They are four times more likely to be in poorer areas than richer areas. There is a sense they are targeting deprived communities. We want to give the opportunity to councils to pull plug on them if they want to.”

Currently councils are powerless to stop the number of FOBTs in betting shops and to control the number of betting shops on the High Street. But Mr Efford said new legislation would see bookmakers “accountable through the ballot box”.

Mr Miliband, who is the 8/13 favourite to lead his party to victory in the 2015 election, said he had “occasionally bet on the Grand National”, adding: “This is not about saying no one can ever bet. It is about saying we need to properly regulate this. We need to stand up to the betting industry, which hasn't been stood up to for too long.”

Mr Miliband had a cup of tea – no sugar, with the tea bag left in – in La Diva cafe in Glengall Road where he heard from credit union volunteers and neighbourhood campaigners. They said Kilburn High Road had become a destination for high interest pay day loans, “cash for gold” pawn shops and gambling addiction.

Mr Miliband also spoke to former FOBT addict Matt Zarb-Cousin who said he lost £16,000 on the machines and later needed therapy before getting his life back on track by finding a new “obsession” with politics.

When asked about HS2, Mr Miliband said: “I'll say it again. I've always said I understand local concerns. We have supported HS2 we think it is the right thing. We have to make sure it is value for money but of course we have to listen to local people.”