Gambling

Britain, you might say, is a nation of slot players. The total of what are known as "pay-to-play" machines - including fruit machines, club jackpot machines and skill with prizes machines - is almost half a million. They generate more than pounds 700m a year in tax revenue, according to Bacta, the trade association of the amusement machine industry.

This is a nice little earner. It yields the Treasury even more than the pounds 600m or so it takes out of the National Lottery. If the Millennium Dome were to be filled with slot machines, it would not take long to recoup its costs.

The industry is disappointed that the Chancellor chose to hike the levy on machines in his Budget this week. Bacta claims that these machines are more than a vital source of extra income that helps to maintain seaside piers, rural pubs and social clubs up and down the land. Many of these little local establishments would face the threat of going under without this extra money. As one club secretary chose to put it: "The one-armed bandit is the best member the club has."

Two-thirds of the populace have played a machine at one time or another. Their attraction lies in their cheap and cheerful entertainment (if you know when to stop), and their diversity.

Leisure machines are sited in a wide range of locations, including motorway services, railway stations and airports. "While machines in themselves are not the main reason why people go to a pub, visit a leisure attraction or social club, or break their journey on the motorway," says chief executive Warren Newman, "they play a central role in providing entertainment to customers." (As anyone with teenage children may ruefully confirm.)

The proliferation of slot machines puts into perspective the casino industry's modest hope of persuading the Home Office to implement current proposals to change the type of machines allowed in casinos. This is seen as even more important that raising the limit from the present six per casino to a ratio of two or three per table game.

Can slots spread too far? An interesting controversy has arisen in Las Vegas, which is, after all, the pace-setter in gambling, over whether slot machines should continue to be allowed in delis, supermarkets and mom-and-pop stores. Opponents argue that since these are the only places where people can go without the temptation to gamble, slots should be barred. One concern is that children should not get too much exposure to gambling. But the operators, who earn a large slice of their revenue this way, maintain that if people choose to play slots, that is their right.