Hippodrome boss calls for ‘crack cocaine’ machine cull

The head of London’s Hippodrome casino has hit out at “socially unacceptable” high-stakes betting machines, weeks ahead of the results of a crucial government review into their future.

The “crack cocaine” machines allow customers to bet up to £100 a spin but campaigners among casino and arcade operators are calling for the maximum stake to be slashed to £2.

Bookmakers such as William Hill and Ladbrokes Coral have threatened up to 30,000 jobs could be lost across the industry if stakes are drastically cut.

But Hippodrome chief executive Simon Thomas said: “The reality is that if they went it wouldn’t make any difference to my business at all. Where the damage for my business comes is reputationally — people see problem gambling, High Street fights — all of that puts a negative slant on gambling. In the UK we have this anomaly where we have 35,000 hard gambling machines in easily accessible venues which used to be bookies and are now mini-casinos.”

The Hippodrome has 20 lower-stakes machines where maximum spend is a fiver.

Former culture secretary John Whittingdale last week said sports minister Tracey Crouch, who announced the review, was “no fan” of the machines and added: “I can’t say I would be surprised if there are quite radical measures produced.”