The MP for Tottenham has thrown his weight behind a new campaign calling for tighter restrictions on 'damaging' betting machines.

David Lammy spoke this evening at the launch of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s Stop the FOBTs.

FOBT's, short for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, are betting machines found in bookmakers at which it is possible for a user to bet up to £100 every 20 seconds.

At the launch at the Houses of Parliament Mr Lammy said: “We have been fighting this problem in Tottenham for a number of years.

“People have been concerned about it for a while and this campaign means this is becoming a national issue.

“Young people and families will be hurt because of FOBTs and so we need to put an end to these gambling machines before they do more damage.”

The campaign believes the way to stem the proliferation of betting shops, which rely on FOBTS to survive, is to reduce the high speed, high stake, game content which they say is taking money out of deprived communities.

Campaigners are calling for government to reduce the maximum stake which can be bet on these betting machines from £100 to £2 and to slow down the rate of betting at terminals using legislation.