Fears pubs will not get AWP machine rises

Fears are mounting that the government will not increase the stake and prize money for AWP machines - meaning pubs will continue to lose vital revenue.​ Despite a recommendation from gambling watchdog the Gaming Board - now known as the Gambling Commission - that the figures should be raised, no action has been taken.

The board wanted the stake and maximum prize money for £25-jackpot fruit machines to be increased to 50p and £35 respectively under the 2005 Gambling Act.

AWP machines are seen as a vital source of income for community and rural pubs, but players are being lured away by fixed-odds betting terminals in betting shops and online gambling.

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), which has been pushing for the rises, is concerned about the lack of response.

"We have re-iterated our call for the changes, but realistically if we don't get an answer from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by the end of this month, then it's not going to happen," said Martin Rawlings, director of pub and leisure at the BBPA.

According to the BBPA, the pub industry has lost £200m per year in income generated from gaming machines since 2002.

Mr Rawlings added: "We can't live on sympathy and we are looking to up the media attention to this issue."

A Commons motion calling for the rises, tabled by All Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman John Grogan MP in January, has received 142 signatures from MPs of all parties.

"It's frustrating when we've had significant cross-party support on this and nothing has happened," said Mr Grogan.

"Pubs are definitely at a disadvantage, but we are still hopeful something will happen."

Robert Booth, licensee at the Foresters Arms, in Sherburn in Elmet, in Leeds, has seen a drop in the number of people coming in to use his AWP machines.

He said: "With the current climate, where 18 year-olds can now get into a casino, the pub trade is seriously lagging behind."

However the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the increases would only be brought in once the safeguards for children and vulnerable people - as part of the Gambling Act - were in place.

She added: "We are in discussion with industry bodies and we hope this will move the issue forward".