March 19 (Reuters) - Share prices in British betting shopsrose on Monday after the Gambling Commission recommendedsetting the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals at 30pounds (
The commission also recommended that the stake on gamblingmachines offering slots games, like traditional fruit machines,should be limited to two pounds (
The government said in October it would reduce the maximumstake on in-shop fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) to between2 and 50 pounds from 100 to help tackle problem gambling after aconsultation in January.
The Sunday Times newspaper cited an ally of CultureSecretary Matt Hancock then as saying the limit would be set atthe bottom of that range.
It is up to the government whether to implement thecommission's recommendations.
An FOBT is a touch-screen machine that allows players to beton the outcome of various games such as roulette. The machinesare dubbed the "crack cocaine" of gambling by campaigners whoargue that they let players lose money too quickly, leading toaddiction and wider social problems.
Campaigners against the machines - including politiciansfrom all parties, city mayors, professors and senior clerics -sent a letter in January to Prime Minister Theresa May to urgethe government to cut the stake to 2 pounds.
The machines are an important source of income for highstreet bookmakers. Shares in prominent bookmakers William Hilland Ladbrokes Coral, which have the biggestpresence on the high street, were up 3 percent each.(