GAMBLERS in our region are spending more than £370 million a year on so-called “fixed odds betting terminals” – the instant-access gambling machines normally found in betting shops, where punters can spend up to £100 every 20 seconds.

According to pressure group Campaign for Fairer Gambling, for every £100 they put in, gamblers on average get only £81.50 back: so they are losing almost £70 million a year on the machines.

In York alone in 2011/12, the last year for which figures are available, gamblers spent more than £105 million on the machines, equating to a loss of about £19.5 million.

Today, MPs will be debating the use of the terminals in the House of Commons.

York Central MP Hugh Bayley claims they are highly addictive, and have ruined lives. They are the “crack cocaine of gambling”, he says. Punters are attracted by the chance of a £500 payout.

Mr Bayley and other Labour MPs want local authorities to be allowed to limit the numbers of terminals in their areas – and would also like to see limits on the amount that can be bet.

The Association of British Bookmakers, however, says the machines are hugely popular. There is no evidence to show gambling machines are any more addictive than any other form of gambling, they say.

We have no problem at all with consenting adults being able to enjoy a harmless flutter. Nevertheless, the sheer amounts of money being spent on these machines is a cause for concern.

For that reason alone, we welcome today’s Parliamentary debate.