Stewart Kenny, one of the founders of betting company Paddy Power, says that the new regulations set by the government to protect online slot players are not strong enough. Kenny, who helped found the Irish company in the 1980s, believes that online slot games spin too fast and are addictive. He emphasizes the need for more stringent measures to safeguard players.
Read Also...:
Charity to financially support Guernsey students launched
03-19, 2025
Disasters spur investment in flood and fire risk tech
03-19, 2025
Thames Water BBC documentary shows firm 'under siege'
03-19, 2025
Inflation: Yoga mats and VR headsets used to measure cost of living
03-19, 2025He argues that the government's new rules on limiting stakes are insufficient to ensure game safety and believes that the game speed should also be reduced. Starting in April, slot stakes for players over 25 will be limited to £5 per spin. In May, stakes for younger players aged 18-24 will be limited to £2 per spin. This move follows a review of the 2005 Gambling Act and the publication of a white paper introducing measures to strengthen gambling harm legislation.
Online slots are the online version of slot machine games found in casinos. Players deposit funds and spin the reels. If the symbols or pictures match, they can win prizes. The government stated that the reason for the stake limits on slots is that they are "a high-risk gambling product associated with large losses, long sessions and binges."
But in a new BBC Radio 4 documentary series, Stewart Kenny, who resigned from the betting company's board in 2016, said that the speed of the games is the root cause of addiction. He said the interval between investment and outcome is "only a few seconds," meaning players can "repeatedly bet" at high speed. Furthermore, he said that these machines offer "lots of noise and rich colors," as well as near misses, which are "the basis of gambling addiction."
The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport stated that the Gambling Commission introduced requirements in 2021 that changed the speed and intensity of slot machines: "This includes a minimum spin speed of 2.5 seconds, a ban on autoplay and features that increase game intensity, such as acceleration, quick spins and slam stops, or give the illusion of a 'false win.'" These measures aim to reduce the addictive potential of online slots.
A large portion of betting companies' profits come from online slots. Market data collected by the Gambling Commission up to December 2024 shows that slot profits increased by 15% year-on-year to a new high of £709 million. In the last quarter, the number of spins increased by 9% to a new peak of 23.9 billion.
Paddy Power merged with another betting brand, Betfair, and became one of the largest betting companies in the world under the name Flutter Entertainment. Stewart Kenny resigned from the Flutter board, saying he believed the company was not doing enough to protect vulnerable customers using its websites.
Mr. Kenny no longer has any financial interest in the company and received no payment for his participation in these programs. In the documentary series "Changing the Odds," Kenny collaborates with journalist Lydia Thomas, who has covered the betting industry for a decade, to document the 20 years since the enactment of the 2005 Gambling Act. This act paved the way for a radical transformation of the UK betting industry and brought betting online.
For many years, the UK has been the largest online betting market in the world – an industry worth £15.6 billion. Only recently has the United States surpassed the UK as more states allow online gambling. It was this shift to online that triggered Mr. Kenny's concerns during his time on the board. He believes that the internet is inherently addictive, and adding online casinos to it "makes the mixture too potent."
Mr. Kenny still enjoys gambling and often bets on horse and dog racing, which he considers a less addictive betting product. But he criticizes the industry for encouraging sports betting players to switch to online slots. "I've always said I'm very relaxed about my kids opening betting accounts. But I would be appalled if my grandchildren opened betting accounts."
"What betting companies do is, when you're 18 and you open a betting account to place a bet, you're still a kid, you want to bet £5 on your local team, within 48 hours the betting company will try to lure you into a highly addictive online casino by sending you free spins." Mr. Kenny believes that it is the responsibility of the government and regulators to make gambling safe.
"There's a balance here. If you want to bet, you should be allowed to bet. It's a free society. So you don't want to interfere too much in people's entertainment. It's easy to blame the betting companies. It's a matter for the legislators." He suggests that the government needs to take a more active role in regulating the industry.
Flutter Entertainment stated that it recognizes that the betting industry has not always done things right in the past, but said that its UK business has "changed significantly since Stewart ended his involvement eight years ago." It stated that during that time, it has been an "active and constructive supporter" of the Gambling Act review and white paper, while "leading the industry in proactive change" by introducing deposit limits for those under 25 and setting a £10 stake limit on online slot products. "We are pleased that Stewart has publicly praised some of these measures, as we respect his views."
The betting industry body, the Betting and Gaming Council, said: "Every month, around 22.5 million people in the UK enjoy betting, the vast majority of them safely and responsibly. The BGC supports plans to reform stake limits and introduce a mandatory levy to fund research, prevention and treatment. The white paper is a once-in-a-generation moment of change, and the proposals it contains must draw a line under a long and often polarized betting debate."
