By all measures, companies who make fixed-odds betting machines in the United Kingdom should be celebrating. Just last fall, the country’s regulatory body that governs roulette machines announced that it was raising the maximum jackpot payouts for both traditional and progressive machines. The agency further announced that the maximum bet for these machines would more than double in 2014, fuelling an already healthy gambling market and ensuring that both traditional and electronic roulette variants were here to stay.

The memory of those glory days may be fading, however, in light of recent demands made by the UK Labour Party’s members of parliament. Staunchly opposed not only to the newer, looser regulation of these machines, but also the very concept of the machines themselves, a large number of MPs are now pushing for tighter regulation concerning the betting, fixed odds ratios, and placement of the machines themselves. That has investors nervous.

Proceed with Caution: Investors Urge Trepidation When Investing in This Market

Recent concerns over the fixed-odds betting machine market are largely due to an Opposition Day debate about the merits of such machines and the prospect for tighter regulations over who can use them, how much they’ll accept as a maximum bet, and what their largest potential payout is if a gambler wins the jackpot. Roulette players had already made their position known: Late in 2013, armies of gamblers and gambling machine makers made it clear that looser regulations would make it more fun to play, and boost the industry’s profit as a result.

That’s a position that most analysts in the United Kingdom are still holding onto. In fact, analysts admit that the expect no substantive change in how roulette machines are regulated or played during 2014. Even so, they urge investors considering investing in companies like Ladbrokes to consider all of their options, and weigh heavily the prospect of future change.

For Now, Roulette Players Can Wager Without Worry

Though no substantive changes will likely affect the growing community of fixed-odds roulette players in the UK, it’s a situation that bears monitoring. After years of massive growth, fans of video roulette machines could be in for a tumultuous ride as the forces of greater regulatory authority begin to once again make some serious noise.