People in North Somerset sunk almost £17million into gambling terminals in one year alone, while Sedgemoor gamblers put more than £9million of their cash into the machines.
Between the two areas, people using the machines lost £5million – enough to buy 20 average homes in North Somerset or more than 30 new Ferraris.
North Somerset is home to 22 betting shops and houses 80 fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), while Sedgemoor has 12 betting shops and 44 FOBTs.
FOBTs are touch-screen roulette machines which are found in betting shops across the country, on which gamblers can play casino-style games with £100 maximum stake for every spin.
According to the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, North Somerset’s gamblers slotted £16,775,995 into the machines in 2014-2015 – in Sedgemoor this figure stood at £9,150,543.
In North Somerset, players showed a net loss of £3,355,199 to the machines, compared to £1,830,109 in Sedgemoor.
The overall amount of money gambled – taking into account the amount of money totted up on the screen – was £90million in North Somerset and £49million in Sedgemoor.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling says it is concerned about the sudden popularity of these machines, and is pressing for a reduction in the maximum stake which can be placed in one bet from £100 to just £2.
Campaign spokesman Matt Zarb-Cousin said he believes the ability to place large bets every 20 seconds on FOBTS gives rise to more addictive tendencies.
He said: “There’s a massive difference between placing a bet on the football or horse racing compared with a game of roulette.
“These machines reduce human interaction; people are almost entranced by them once they’re into the zone.”
But the Gambling Commission, which regulates the industry, said: “The Commission’s previous advice to the Government in 2013 was that we had not seen sufficient evidence that a reduction in stakes alone would minimise player harm.
“But we were also clear that if the industry didn’t make real progress in addressing harm then we might in future advise the Government to consider harm reduction measures such as stake reduction on a precautionary basis.”
According to the Gambling Commission, the council awarded 223 gambling licences that year, compared to 322 in the 2010-2011 financial year.
In 2011-2012, 316 licences were awarded, but it dropped to 216 the next year and 212 the year after.
But neighbouring authority Sedgemoor District Council has seen a rise in the number of gambling licences it has issued.
In 2010-2011 it granted 170 licences, followed by 192 the next year and 204 the year after. By 2013-2014, 222 licences were issued and in 2014-2015 the council handed out 238 licences.
The Department for Culture Media and Sport said it introduced stronger gambling controls last April, ending unsupervised stakes above £50 and giving local authorities more power to stop new betting shops opening.
A spokesman said: “We support a responsible gambling industry and have been clear that we expect the sector to protect players, help people stay in control of their gambling and ensure they know where they can get help and advice if they need it.”
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