Just one more go...

If ever there was an example of conflict of interest, it has to be these Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) which you will find in bookies shops.  These allow you to stake up to £100 a time on the turn of a card, or spin of a wheel, and then, having lost, do the same again, and again.  They are addictive, and you can lose an awful lot of money very quickly.  Clearly they are A Bad Thing,  Now the government is supposed to protect us from bad things and there have been constant calls for FOBTs to be banned, or at the very least, to have the amount you can bet reduced - £2 is commonly held to be a reasonable amount.  Problem?  The government taxes these machines (Machine Games Duty) based on the takings they generate and the more they bring in, the more money the government makes.  So banning them, or reducing the amount gambled is not in their interest.  See?