There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
21 Jul 24
15:30
Joined:
Date Joined:
18 Feb 02
Fears grow over rise of ‘under the radar’ all-night slot machine halls in UK
Campaigners raise concern over risk of problem gambling as more than 300 24-hour sites spring up
Tom Parry and Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Sun 21 Jul 2024 07.00 BST
Share
More than 300 slot machine adult gaming centres are running 24 hours a day on Britain’s high streets, despite warnings of the risks they pose to vulnerable gamblers.
Two of the leading slot machine operators – Merkur and Admiral – have opened dozens of new around-the-clock outlets in empty retail units across the country over the last few years. The two firms operate more than 500 venues across Britain, with most now open 24 hours a day.
In many cases, local residents vigorously opposed the venues opening, but council planning committees failed to block the applications. Campaigners are now calling for a crackdown on the sector’s expansion.
Nick Harvey, from the charity Gambling with Lives, which supports families bereaved by gambling suicide, said the rollout of 24-hour slot machine venues had been “under the radar”. Campaigners want to see new powers to allow councils considering applications to assess the cumulative impact of gambling.
Harvey said: “Slots venues contain the most addictive gambling products out there, causing misery to communities while bringing little to no economic benefit to the local area.”
This weekend, in response to Observer figures, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Local Government Association called for new powers for councils to halt the “proliferation” of 24-hour slot machine centres in some towns.
The concerns raised over the rapid expansion of the sector come as the Gambling Commission prepares to publish its research on gambling harm this week. Preliminary findings published last year found that 2.5% of the adult population may be suffering from problem gambling. The commission has previously put the proportion of people suffering from a gambling problem much lower, at 0.3% of adults in Britain.
At a Greenwich council planning committee meeting on Tuesday, members considered an application for a new 24-hour Merkur Slots centre in Eltham, south east London. There were more than 60 objections from residents as well as an open letter from Labour councillors Lauren Dingsdale and Sammy Backon, who wrote: “Allowing planning permission for this premises would encourage vulnerable individuals to gamble more than they can afford.”
Separately, a police officer wrote that he had seen multiple police logs of customers at Merkur venues “criminally damaging gaming machines after losing money and in some instances threatening and/or assaulting staff”.
Councillors refused the application, but Merkur has already lodged an appeal because the local authority had not reached a decision within the statutory eight weeks.
Merkur operates 24-hour slot machine centres across the UK. The company, founded by German businessmanand slot-machine tycoon Paul Gauselmann, increased revenues by 17% last year to £202m.
Former slot machine addict Tracey, 62, from Watford, who asked to give only her first name, received a three-year prison sentence in 2020 for stealing £70,000 from her employer to feed her gambling addiction.
“I would take a cab from my house to the Merkur [venue] in Watford at 5am,” she said. “I could easily spend £2,000-£3,000 in a single visit.” Tracey, who now counsels other addicts, claimed: “There’s no duty of care. You become a favourite customer because you’re out of control.”
The slot machines with the biggest payouts are known as B3 machines. These have a maximum stake of £2, but a spin speed for each game of two-and-a-half seconds. It means it is possible to stake hundreds of pounds in hours.
One former customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he turned to slot-machine centres after participating in self-exclusion schemes at betting shops and casinos. “I went into several Admiral and Merkur venues last year,” he said. “It’s ridiculous to say the £2 limit is any kind of barrier. I lost over £1,000 very quickly.”
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Observed
Free weekly newsletter
Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers
Enter your email addressSign up
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
The last government proposed loosening the rules for slot machine operators, permitting the use of debit cards on machines and for operators to increase the proportion of B3 machines in arcades and bingo halls from 20% to 50%. An Observer investigation this year raised questions over the way centres are regulated.
John Bollom, president of the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (Bacta), described adult gaming centres as “popular entertainment venues” which are “among the safest places to gamble”. He said customers are supervised by experienced staff “well trained to spot signs of problems and provide support”.
Passersby walk in front of the brightly lit windows of an Admiral slot machine arcade on a shopping street
Masters of spin – how slot machine operators are taking over UK high streets
Read more
He added: “The gaming machines in these venues are low-stake and highly regulated by the Gambling Commission, and strict age checks are enforced. [The centres] are a valued part of the high street and an essential component of the night-time economy.
“A small minority of players can have problems, and we are committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of social responsibility and that help is offered to players if needed.”
An LGA spokesperson said: “Problem gambling can lead to spiralling debt, homelessness, and relationship breakdowns. Councils have long called for more legal powers to approve or reject applications for new gambling premises, especially when there is a proliferation in a small area or on a single street.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was “committed to reducing gambling-related harm”. The Gambling Commission said councils can impose conditions including reducing hours if gambling is not being provided in a way that is fair and safe. All adult gaming centres must identify customers who may be at risk of experiencing harm and interact with those customers.
Admiral and Merkur Slots have been approached for comment.
Campaigners raise concern over risk of problem gambling as more than 300 24-hour sites spring up
Tom Parry and Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Sun 21 Jul 2024 07.00 BST
Share
More than 300 slot machine adult gaming centres are running 24 hours a day on Britain’s high streets, despite warnings of the risks they pose to vulnerable gamblers.
Two of the leading slot machine operators – Merkur and Admiral – have opened dozens of new around-the-clock outlets in empty retail units across the country over the last few years. The two firms operate more than 500 venues across Britain, with most now open 24 hours a day.
In many cases, local residents vigorously opposed the venues opening, but council planning committees failed to block the applications. Campaigners are now calling for a crackdown on the sector’s expansion.
Nick Harvey, from the charity Gambling with Lives, which supports families bereaved by gambling suicide, said the rollout of 24-hour slot machine venues had been “under the radar”. Campaigners want to see new powers to allow councils considering applications to assess the cumulative impact of gambling.
Harvey said: “Slots venues contain the most addictive gambling products out there, causing misery to communities while bringing little to no economic benefit to the local area.”
This weekend, in response to Observer figures, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Local Government Association called for new powers for councils to halt the “proliferation” of 24-hour slot machine centres in some towns.
The concerns raised over the rapid expansion of the sector come as the Gambling Commission prepares to publish its research on gambling harm this week. Preliminary findings published last year found that 2.5% of the adult population may be suffering from problem gambling. The commission has previously put the proportion of people suffering from a gambling problem much lower, at 0.3% of adults in Britain.
At a Greenwich council planning committee meeting on Tuesday, members considered an application for a new 24-hour Merkur Slots centre in Eltham, south east London. There were more than 60 objections from residents as well as an open letter from Labour councillors Lauren Dingsdale and Sammy Backon, who wrote: “Allowing planning permission for this premises would encourage vulnerable individuals to gamble more than they can afford.”
Separately, a police officer wrote that he had seen multiple police logs of customers at Merkur venues “criminally damaging gaming machines after losing money and in some instances threatening and/or assaulting staff”.
Councillors refused the application, but Merkur has already lodged an appeal because the local authority had not reached a decision within the statutory eight weeks.
Merkur operates 24-hour slot machine centres across the UK. The company, founded by German businessmanand slot-machine tycoon Paul Gauselmann, increased revenues by 17% last year to £202m.
Former slot machine addict Tracey, 62, from Watford, who asked to give only her first name, received a three-year prison sentence in 2020 for stealing £70,000 from her employer to feed her gambling addiction.
“I would take a cab from my house to the Merkur [venue] in Watford at 5am,” she said. “I could easily spend £2,000-£3,000 in a single visit.” Tracey, who now counsels other addicts, claimed: “There’s no duty of care. You become a favourite customer because you’re out of control.”
The slot machines with the biggest payouts are known as B3 machines. These have a maximum stake of £2, but a spin speed for each game of two-and-a-half seconds. It means it is possible to stake hundreds of pounds in hours.
One former customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he turned to slot-machine centres after participating in self-exclusion schemes at betting shops and casinos. “I went into several Admiral and Merkur venues last year,” he said. “It’s ridiculous to say the £2 limit is any kind of barrier. I lost over £1,000 very quickly.”
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Observed
Free weekly newsletter
Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers
Enter your email addressSign up
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
The last government proposed loosening the rules for slot machine operators, permitting the use of debit cards on machines and for operators to increase the proportion of B3 machines in arcades and bingo halls from 20% to 50%. An Observer investigation this year raised questions over the way centres are regulated.
John Bollom, president of the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (Bacta), described adult gaming centres as “popular entertainment venues” which are “among the safest places to gamble”. He said customers are supervised by experienced staff “well trained to spot signs of problems and provide support”.
Passersby walk in front of the brightly lit windows of an Admiral slot machine arcade on a shopping street
Masters of spin – how slot machine operators are taking over UK high streets
Read more
He added: “The gaming machines in these venues are low-stake and highly regulated by the Gambling Commission, and strict age checks are enforced. [The centres] are a valued part of the high street and an essential component of the night-time economy.
“A small minority of players can have problems, and we are committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of social responsibility and that help is offered to players if needed.”
An LGA spokesperson said: “Problem gambling can lead to spiralling debt, homelessness, and relationship breakdowns. Councils have long called for more legal powers to approve or reject applications for new gambling premises, especially when there is a proliferation in a small area or on a single street.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was “committed to reducing gambling-related harm”. The Gambling Commission said councils can impose conditions including reducing hours if gambling is not being provided in a way that is fair and safe. All adult gaming centres must identify customers who may be at risk of experiencing harm and interact with those customers.
Admiral and Merkur Slots have been approached for comment.
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 49
|
By:
This is the stupidity of all the affordability checking for sports betting - while still allowing all this casino rubbish to be constantly promoted to the heavens, on TV all the fecking time!
|
|
By:
Of course, as well as the physical versions which this article is highlighting...
|
|
By:
Read this article in The Guardian today and quite shocking really when you hear of these 24 hours a day places. All these bodies such as the Gambling Commission can only be considered as just a joke when you hear stories such as this.
|
|
By:
I'll never believe anyone who tries to say that casino (luck only) gambling is the same, or less dangerous, in comparing to sports betting.
It is a crack cocaine form of gambling, when you can pump in bets endlessly and very quickly, with programmed machines designed to hook you into the experiences. |
|
By:
Casino including slots of course.
|
|
By:
Sshh stu. Keep it to yourself, or somebody might realise that none of the "bookmakers" are bookmakers.
|
|
By:
These slots with premium play look funking awful. Roulette staking requiring each £2 spin to drop in a green sliver of a pie can lose hundreds in minutes and then the roulette spin can lose as well. There is a you tube video of Rainbow Lobster Pots premium play which lost 88 £2 spins on the trot. The premium play is misrepresented at three reels with a 1in2 chance of winning, so 2x2x2=8. Don't know how that can be allowed as the guaranteed win is 20x so clearly misrepresented odds.
|
|
By:
Storm Alert.
Was wondering why all Corals shop windows are full of lobster pot posters.. Hope you are well. Ronnie. |
|
By:
Without the machines you'd have been out of a job 20 years ago Ronnie.
Consider yoursen lucky in that respect regards |
|
By:
2 licenses. one bookmaker, one casino.
been telling them / you this for years, as usual no cnt listens to the Hulk. shame, cos if they had they'd be a lot better off (18,000/1 6 timer, 10/1 2 plaice double  boosha)Best Eva  |
|
By:
all these new cnts, they get a "bookmakers" licence then shut down any fkr that wants a "proper" old school bet. tenner on a horse etc.
turn themselves into casino (guaranteed win) only outlets. |
|
By:
phone a bet, dial a bet, monster bet, bet uk, bet purple, bet fkng this, bet fkng that ...
all hard fkng at it, won't lay you an egg. have you tried the casino ?? on yer bike ffs |
|
By:
I went into a bookies shop in Addlestone last Wednesday afternoon, baldys, 5 people in the shop, 4 on the slots and I was the only one watching a live race. One guy appeared to have his head on the machine and looked asleep
|
|
By:
that's par for the course i'm afraid. 20/30 years ago these places were a hive of activity.
now they're dead. as a dodo. (ronnie be on soon telling us he had 575 people in the shop yesterday and took half a mill over the counter. all smoke and mirrors) |
|
By:
same as *ports laying someone £100k every Royal Ascot
can set your watch by the lying cnts. every year, same old yadda yadda from them. open an account up with them you'll be history within a day. that's how fearless they are. |
|
By:
This is the legacy of the gambling review.
The machines have moved from betting shops to 24/7 arcades, casinos and bingo halls, where addicts can access them more easily. Punters lose their rights to financial privacy, and their right to decide to bet with their own money. Gambling charities, research academics, safer gambling departments and the companies who carry out ‘frictionless’ checks all now get a slice of the pie too, at the expense of the casual punter who now faces higher margins, less offers, no BOG, and all the other things that probably helped keep their betting ‘safe’ being removed. Smaller independent betting companies will likely go under, horse and greyhound racing loses huge slice of its funding. Everything else remains the same. Ridiculous. |
|
By:
My old man still goes in C0rals shops, he reckons the manager is a brown hatter because he keeps asking him if he wants a coffee!
|
|
By:
All eyes are on the punter wanting to beat the price, make a profit or bet more than their monthly allowance. Gambling Commission and bookies happy.
Meanwhile in the wild west saloon anything goes. Gambling Commission knows nothing about. Bookies happy. |
|
By:
Where are Just Stop Oil who disrupt the lives of people going to work? The damage of the crack cocaine of gambling is more immediate and destructive to individuals, families of individuals and societies affected.
Only a totally ignorant and/or blind person or entity can allow a 24-hr opening of slot machines on the high streets of the UK. Even casinos are not 24-hrs. |
|
By:
Sounds like a good thing to me. The prodnoses have found something new to get worked up about. Diverts attention from us.
All the best to Merkur. |
|
By:
they arent gambolling. they are giving it away and they can get on with it if they are that stupid. just demonstrates what an idiot this nation is. and the gambling commission, to use a tired over-used buzz-phrase, isnt fit for purpose and should be abolished
this became more of an issue because many women use these things. i asked my mp what why she had suddenly become so interested in this problem. she said she wanted to 'protect women and children' and was in favour of heavy restrictions on gambling, despite it being the most heavily regulated and highest tax-paying business in the uk. i tried to ask her if she was mp for gezzers also but she supid cow legged it, and jumped into her chauffer-driven motor 'crack cocaine' of gambling indeed. every time the same tired old cliched tripe turns up. crack cocaine is rubbish |
|
By:
The human brain is programmed to try and find patterns when they don't necessarily exist. FOBTs definitely use this to their advantage, with lots of close calls on losing spins appearing as nearly a big win, or nearly a bonus. It encourages players to keep playing and keep pumping money through.
Keep on playing and neuroplasticity will soon alter a brain, conditioning it to crave the dopamine kick which high speed risk/reward produce. Unfortunately the dopamine becoming less effective over time, requiring bigger risks (losses?) Once addicted, winning/ losing becomes secondary to feeding the craving. Very much like taking a recreational drug, I would have thought. 'Crack cocaine' is a very good analogy imo. Must be awful to be addicted to these things, much more difficult to manage than having several bets a day on the horses, where at least there is some 'cool down time' between races. |
|
By:
bollox. you tried crack?
if these things are so dangerous ban em altogether. casinos slots bingo arcades bookies irish lotto 49s scratchcards lottery. all gone they are heavily regulated already so if these things still do such harm they have to go |
|
By:
You are misunderstanding the analogy. There is no suggestion taking crack cocaine is similar to playing an FOBT. It is suggesting that crack cocaine is a highly addictive drug and comparing the addictiveness to gambling on an FOBT, which is highly addictive compared to other forms of gambling.
I agree they should go. The government ham-fisted attempts to regulate FOBT's to protect addicts is in danger of damaging horse racing by frightening off punters who object to the evasion of privacy, affordability checks can cause. |
|
By:
i was joking
they shouldnt go anywhere. you try and stop bingo or lotto or shut casinos. absurd notion why not issue ration cards based on income before you can buy a few bottles? |
|
By:
The sad reality is that hardly anybody in a position of power or in a position to do anything about it, has the first clue about the difference between gambling and gaming. Or even that there is a difference.
The small handful that did have a clue: a) Just lost their seats and b) were (indirectly) employed by "bookmakers" (casino/slots emporiums) anyway. This is why (pretendy) bookmakers will continue to risk destroying the gambling industry in their blatant pursuit of replacing it with gaming anyway. They are no longer interested in a target audience that consisted of almost entirely middle aged/old men and had very limited hours of play - they can now go after every demographic (including women and young people), absolutely all of the time (24/7). |
|
By:
they dont go after them. they provide something and people decide what to do with their time and money. its all heavily regulated so the only way to stop this is to ban the lot. is that ok?
women, for reasons unknown, or rather reasons i wont mention, love random number games. you see them in shops with reams of tickets on 49s heads and tails and similar nonsense. they also play bingo in large numbers. inexplicable to me but true. whos to decide they shouldnt be allowed play em? |
|
By:
If you think they are "heavily regulated"
- Just google the words "bookmaker fined". They have been barely regulated at all until very, very recently.As for "who's to decide" - no idea. I'm kind of with you that it's a personal choice - but when the (pretendy) bookmakers went all pro-active in generating and targeting addicts - they brought it on themselves (imo). So at that point i.e. this point - imo the "who's to decide" should be somebody that actually understands the subject matter - and as a starting point, that would be recognising the difference between gambling and gaming. |
|
By:
bookmakers were doing nothing illegal. and those bookmaker fines were entirely arbitrary and based on nothing other than the power to do so and wield a big stick. no legal precedent or laws broken that precsribed such penalties
they are regulated. and they didnt target addicts-these games were created by software firms who were partly an offshhoot from gaming companies and who sold the rights to them to the firms. similarly, with virtual racing-should that be banned, popular mad as it is? nor did they 'generate addicts' you sound like a conspiracist with such talk. and pro-active doesnt mean any more than active |
|
By:
I've done all this before with other people mitolo - I can't be bothered again.
Sending free-spins to people that have self-excluded is pretty pro-actively targeting people with a problem imo! Further to your earlier question "who's to decide" - I would apply this filter: Having watched the absolute ignorant (of the subject matter) buffoons that were somehow allowed to speak at that televised select committee meeting. If you'd had a bouncer on the door and in order to gain entry you first had to answer 1) What is the return on a £1 win double with winners at 2/1 and 3/1 and 2) Which comes first the Guineas or the Derby? The room would have been empty except for Philip Davies and his hideous wife Esther McVey, both of whom have had more hospitality (from bookmakers) than the entire cast of Casualty!. You might as well pick some people off the street ffs. |
|
By:
The funniest bit about that select committee meeting - a load of ignorant, out of touch old f4rts, took it in turns to stand up to speak - and all went with pretty much the same opening gambit:
"I don't profess to know much about this but......" then spoke for 30 minutes. "I'm no expert on this but ......" then spoke for 30 minutes. "My only experience in this matter, I remember as a young man having half a crown on the Grand National... spoke for 40 minutes. Yup, those are the people that will decide what happens next in the 21st Century gambling industry. |
|
By:
dont reply if you dont want to get into it again. no doubt someone else will on your behalf-maybe fromthe arse.
did they send free spins to those who had excluded themselves? might have happened by im sceptical it was common. i get em all the time and send em to a friend as i dont even know what to do with em random number generating games were made by firms like globecast and offered to the firms, who unsterstandably, accepted them, with a profit share. theyd have been daft not to, if others had. they didnt invent them i think you are too condemnatory of bookmakers-it was new thing and few predicted how they would take off. restrictions and affordability are what i blame them for. and the gc should go bingo is effectively the same as slots but doesnt attract the same condemnation. whys that? never heard of davies |
|
By:
@mitolo
"women... play bingo in large numbers. inexplicable to me but true." Bingo is a clever one. If you're sitting on an almost-full card, with one number missing, and someone gets it before you, you will feel like you "almost" won; the reality is there were still ~50 balls in the machine to come and you were getting excited about being on a 50/1 shot. And feeling like you "almost" won encourages you to play again (see also, the National Lottery). |
|
By:
would argue with that but being old is not something to hold against them
purely anecdotally this mob is going to be worse. my mp is a horror and an idiot |
|
By:
fazackerley- its the same as 'nearly' getting 3 plump pumpkins in a line only to be beaten by a raspberry getting in first
|
|
By:
Bingo is just the new "gateway" for (mostly) women to slots/casino.
If you don't believe me - go to the homepage of Gala Bingo ( which "proudly sponsors The Chase" at 5pm in the afternoon ffs). The homepage has one link to Bingo - and eighty links to slots games! |
|
By:
Foxy bingo (homepage) has a couple of links to Bingo and 144 (that's gross!) links to slots.
Eyes down for a house full of addicts. |
|
By:
888ladies where "every day is ladies day"
- only has 30 links to slots on their homepage. |
|
By:
theyve always played bingo. should bingo clubs restrict spending by being more severe on client spending on multiple cards?
thats not the point-whether they advertise other random number games is irrelevant as they are effectively the same as bingo anyway-but nobody goes on about bingo |