In 1942, following the allied victory at the Battle of El Alamein, Winston Churchill famously and sagely said:
'...this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.'
In recognising that the war was far from won and that any triumphalism was premature, Churchill was still able to articulate some hope. The same sentiment could be employed today, with the announcement that the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals is to be reduced from £100 to £2.
This achievement, which has been won by a broad alliance of campaign groups from across Britain who have tirelessly worked to end the menace of FOBTs, will have far reaching benefits for those whose lives have been devastated by these machines.
It has been the result of cross party agreement in parliament, with a majority of MPs from Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and other parties working together in a rare moment of political consensus; it is heartening to know that even in these divisive times that our political class can unite in the public interest on such key issues.
This is not the end of ruthless and exploitative practices by the gambling industry, it is not even the beginning of the end, because multi billion pound industries rarely surrender their most lucrative means of wealth extraction without creating new ones. We should be under no illusions that this is anything other than a temporary retreat and the closure of betting shops on the high street, sustained by FOBTs, is a price the industry will be more than willing to pay.
The next front in the war against vulnerable people will be online. Already countless gamblers find themselves ensnared in online gambling, bombarded with highly targeted messages on social media and via email impulsing them to use online gaming apps. This trend is only likely to grow in the coming years with the decline of FOBTs. The online world is harder to regulate and more accessible to children and teenagers.
Any industry based on addiction is vampirically drawn to youth. A young gambling addict represents decades of profits and so the fight to safeguard children from the gambling industry should instinctively be the anti gambling community's next cause. Harnessing today's success will be vital in the struggles to come; the gambling industry would be more than happy for the movement to congratulate itself and believe that the issue of problematic gaming has been resolved.
In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, Churchill said:
"We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing; but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead."
Indeed, let us not forget. The campaign must prepare itself if anything for longer and harder tasks, but with unity, dedication and single minded concern for those who have been destroyed by the gambling industry, we will find ourselves more than a match for the task.