Campaign for Fairer Gambling

History and Founding

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling was established in 2012 by Derek Webb, a former professional gambler who had made a fortune from betting and later said he wanted to pay back some of what the industry had taken from vulnerable people. Webb began funding research into fixed-odds betting terminals, the high-stakes machines in British betting shops that at the time allowed stakes of up to £100 every 20 seconds. He commissioned studies, ran media campaigns, and built relationships with MPs, churches, charities, and other campaigners.

The group’s first major public interventions included full-page newspaper adverts, reports on the link between FOBTs and crime, and detailed mapping of where the machines were located. This mapping showed that the terminals were heavily concentrated in poorer communities, which became a central part of the argument for reform. In 2015 Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former Labour press officer, was brought in to lead communications and lobbying, giving the campaign a sharp, media-friendly presence.

Funding and Operating Model

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling was not a commercial gambling business and made no money from the industry it criticised. It was funded almost entirely by Webb, with media reports often citing a figure of around £1 million or more of his own money invested in the effort. That financial independence allowed it to take positions that established gambling charities and industry-funded bodies could not.

Its operating model was built around influence rather than income. The campaign produced reports, built email and press lists, organised parliamentary events, and used digital advertising to mobilise public pressure on ministers. It avoided accepting money from betting companies and from industry-adjacent organisations, presenting itself as an independent voice for reform.

The FOBT Campaign

At the heart of the group’s work was the campaign to cut the FOBT maximum stake. The Campaign argued that the £100 limit, combined with machines operating every 20 seconds, created uniquely dangerous forms of gambling and encouraged money laundering. It said that bookmakers had deliberately clustered these machines in deprived high streets, turning local shops into mini-casinos.

The pressure peaked during the 2017-2018 review of gaming machines and social responsibility. After months of parliamentary amendments, ministerial negotiations, and intense media coverage, the Government announced in May 2018 that the maximum FOBT stake would fall to £2. The change was implemented in April 2019, and the Campaign for Fairer Gambling was widely credited with securing it.

Wider Policy Influence

Beyond FOBTs, the Campaign spoke on other gambling issues, including advertising during sporting events, the influence of the betting industry on football, and the adequacy of treatment and prevention services. It was frequently called on by broadcasters and broadsheets as a counterweight to industry spokespeople and as a source of harm statistics. The organisation had no formal regulatory authority; its power came from setting the political agenda and making it hard for ministers to ignore public concern.

Later Developments and Successors

After the £2 stake took effect, the Campaign wound down its daily operation. Matt Zarb-Cousin moved on to help found Clean Up Gambling, a related anti-industry campaign, while Webb continued to fund and support gambling reform projects. The Campaign’s original website remains an archive of its research and press releases, and it is still referenced in policy debates as one of the most effective UK gambling-reform campaigns of the 2010s.