BRADFORD has joined forces with scores of other towns and cities to prevent the city becoming saturated with betting shops.

The unprecedented alliance is using a localism law to pile pressure on ministers to crack down on unregulated casino-style gambling on high-risk machines.

The Council has long spoken of its concern about the boom in betting shops in Bradford, exploiting lax planning laws.

An analysis by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling put the city among nine areas with the highest density of bookies, with 12 in the BD1 postcode area alone.

Now it is among 93 local authorities - run by Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats - which are attempting to use the Sustainable Communities Act to force change.

They want ministers to reduce the maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 a spin to just £2.

Dubbed the crack cocaine of gambling, punters are able to pump £300 every minute into the video machines, which offer virtual versions of casino games such as roulette.

The Act forces ministers to consider the request and, even if they reject it, the Government must take part in talks with an appointed go-between to agree a compromise.

The bid is being spearheaded by Newham Council, in London, which says police officers are called to an incident of crime or anti-social behaviour related to a betting shop every day.

Bradford Council leader David Green stressed the city did not have similar problems, but said: "It's really important that our city and town centres have a varied mix of shops, to attract both local people and visitors.

"Also, there are significant and obvious social problems resulting from irresponsible gambling.

"For these reasons, Bradford Council is happy with work in partnership with other local authorities to try and limit the amount of money people can gamble on slot machines and to try and prevent areas becoming saturated with betting shops."

The Telegraph & Argus has also long called for tighter controls on the betting industry through its Beat The Betting Blight campaign.

The go-between would be the Local Government Association, which wants English local authorities to be given the same powers as Scotland is set to enjoy.

That would also introduce:

* A 'cumulative impact test', allowing councils to reject applications for new betting shops where there are already existing clusters.

* Updated licensing laws, taking into account health issues associated with problem gambling and anti-social behaviour when considering applications.

But the department of culture, media and sport suggested it would resist the attempt at a crackdown, which will be fought by the Association of British Bookmakers.

A spokesman said: "We believe that the measures the government is taking, combined with a mandatory and toughened code as well as more regular warning messages and breaks, are sufficient to improve player protection."

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