Entain has urged ministers not to treat traditional betting shops as if they were the same as adult gaming centres, as the UK government prepares to tighten planning rules on gambling venues.
In comments reported by BM Magazine, Stella David said the government needed to be “very careful not to bundle our great traditional betting shops” with adult gaming centres, which she described as having a “very different style and tone”. Her remarks came as ministers move to rewrite a rule that has long made it hard for councils to refuse new betting shops and slot-machine venues.
As reported on 11 August, the government said it would revoke the Gambling Act’s “aim to permit” rule. That change is intended to give local authorities more room to turn down applications where there are local concerns, and the same package would require adult gaming centres to seek planning permission from the start of next year.
Adult gaming centres have expanded across the country in recent years, while traditional high street bookmakers have continued to decline. Gambling Commission data showed the number of AGCs rose 7% to 1,451 between 2022 and 2024.
The Betting and Gaming Council said the number of betting shops in Britain had fallen by more than a third since 2019, with about 3,000 closures. Entain itself has about 2,300 betting shops.
Entain’s finance chief, Michael Snape, argued that the company’s shops provide a safe place for people to gamble, that they are strict about keeping underage customers out, and that they pay higher taxes. He contrasted that with other operators he said do not pay taxes or do anything for player safety.
The wider policy push is aimed at high streets ministers describe as hollowed out by vape stores, betting shops and rogue businesses. The government said the changes would give communities and councils a stronger say over what opens in town centres, and it said similar concerns have been raised about the clustering of gambling premises in more deprived areas.
The BBC said 664 of about 1,400 adult gaming centres are in the top 20% of deprived areas, and described the clustering of such venues as a feature of some disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The government also pointed to Brent, where it said there are more than 80 gambling venues and 10 betting shops within a 10-minute walk in Harlesden.
