iGaming Business – Ralph Topping, the chief executive of bookmaker William Hill, has revealed he is opposed to the “clustering” of betting shops in the UK and has called on MPs to take action before the situation starts to “alienate” communities.
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Topping said that he understands why people have objected to new betting shops opening on their local high street and claims to have seen “stark” examples of their direct impact.
Topping also suggested handing licensing authorities more power to block such shops sprouting up if the regulators identified a damaging “cumulative impact”.
“I’m against betting shop clustering on social grounds,” Topping said. “I can see for myself some pretty stark examples of this and I can see why people might raise localised objections.
“Betting shops have always been part of the community, but when the situation starts to alienate communities the industry needs to listen and politicians need to act. We think a ‘cumulative impact’ test would be lawful and could be sensibly applied by licensing authorities.”
Topping’s comments will place more pressure on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), which have drawn criticism from politicians and campaign groups alike.
The terminals, which allow punters to spend up to £100 per spin, generate around half of the total revenue for UK betting shops and have been blamed for an increase in problem gambling.
The current law allows betting shops to have just four FOBT machines on the premises, but campaigners have argued that clusters of shops allow the operator to open a shop next door or nearby to bypass the law.
Anti-gambling campaigners have also called on ministers to reduce the amount that can be staked in the machine from £100 to £2, but the government is yet to react despite MPs calling for action, as reported by iGaming Business.
Although admitting that action should be taken, Topping said he “totally rejects” restricting particular products and said any such move would “do nothing to reduce gambling-related harm” and the closure of betting shops would negatively impact the sport of horseracing.
Instead, Topping is backing a new “cumulative impact” test that is similar to the one used for alcohol licensing, which would allow shops to be rejected by planners of they cause “social, economic or community concerns”.
