The government has announced a long-awaited review into gaming machines labelled the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’.

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) will come under the spotlight as part of a sweeping review into the gaming industry which will focus on the stakes and prizes of gaming machines.

The move will look at the harm FOBTs cause - both to the player and the communities in which they are located. It will also look at other gaming machines rules.

Evidence will also be sought on measures to protect against gambling related harm, including the impact of gambling advertising and whether the right regulations are currently in place to protect children and vulnerable people.

Minister for gambling and Chatham MP Tracey Crouch, who announced the review yesterday, said: “It is important that gambling regulations strike the right balance between allowing the industry to contribute to the economy and enable people to bet responsibly whilst ensuring consumers and communities are protected.”

There have been concerns for some time in Medway about the dangers of FOBTs, which allow gamblers to lose hundreds of pounds in a matter of seconds.

In 2014, there were more than 130 FOBTs in the Towns and the Campaign for Fairer Gambling has claimed more than £200 million is spent on the machines in Medway each year.

The impact of FOBTs was highlighted when self-confessed gambling addict Robert Deeming smashed up six betting machines, causing thousands of pounds of damage.

The 60-year-old from Gillingham said he did it to raise awareness of how much money is lost on them. He lost between £3,000 and £4,000 in one month by playing roulette and went on a wrecking spree at two bookies in Chatham.

He was arrested and later pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage.

The call for tighter restrictions on FOBTs has received cross-party support in Medway. Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti (Con) wrote to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2013 to ask whether any work has been done to assess the impact of the machines.

Medway Labour leader Cllr Vince Maple has previously called for FOBTs to be removed altogether.

On Monday he tweeted: “Good to hear there is going to be a review into FOBTs, lets hope we are getting closer to the end of this nightmare.”

The review will gather evidence to fully assess current rules and protocols in the gambling sector and to help inform the government to make decisions on any necessary amendments to gambling regulations.

The call for evidence period began yesterday and will close on December 4.

Carolyn Harris MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on FOBTs, has welcomed the review. The group is currently undertaking its own inquiry and will be giving evidence to the government’s review.

Ms Harris said: “The FOBT All Party Parliamentary Group has been calling for this review for some time. I hope the Government will take this opportunity to address the £100 stake on FOBTs and the regulation of them.”