The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed the modernization plans for casinos, and called for their urgent implementation.
In their White Paper consultation response on land-based betting and gaming, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has outlined proposals including a host of modest, but mission critical, modernization measures.
Even if it would take time to consider the full impact of the proposals, the DCMS did include the introduction of cashless payments, new rules on gaming machines allocations, and permitting all casinos to offer sportsbetting for the very first time.
In a further move in which the BGC also welcomed, the government stated the Gambling Commission will consult on player protection measures to make sure the correct standards are in place where debit card payments are used on gaming machines.
These proposals are highly welcomed, which is why the BGC urged ministers to act quickly to implement the plans so businesses could improve their offers to customers as soon as possible.
Michael Dugher, CEO and Acting Chair of BGC, said:
"Casinos are a vital pillar of the UK's leisure, hospitality and tourism sector and we welcome the Government's consultation response which is positive progress on the modest, long-overdue but mission critical modernization reforms needed for the land-based casino sector to compete and thrive.
Casinos currently employ more than 10,000 people, contribute £300m annually in tax and generate an estimated £800m a year to the UK economy.
Much needed reforms on cashless payments, gaming machine allocations and allowing all casinos to offer sports betting will strengthen the sector to better meet the needs and expectations of their customers.
While we welcome these proposals, attention must now shift to the timeline for implementing policy changes and we urge the Government to urgently set out a clear timeline for progressing the relevant legislation to make them reality for our members.
Too many casinos have sadly closed in recent years as successive administrations failed to deliver the changes we needed to protect jobs and growth. The BGC and our fantastic casino members have campaigned for these new measures for years to allow businesses to modernize, innovate and grow, and we strongly welcome the Government's approach to ensure casinos are better placed to make that happened."
The new proposals were outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement by Stuart Andrew MP, the Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society.
Stuart Andrew MP said as he announced the new measures, "As set out in the Gambling Act Review white paper, the measures we consulted on are therefore necessary to modernize the outdated and overly restrictive regulations that apply to the land-based gambling sector."
Casinos in the UK
Casinos are an important pillar of the regulated betting and gaming sector, and same goes for the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector.
In London alone, casinos contribute an additional £100 million to its economy.
Every month, an estimate 22.5 million adults in Britain enjoy a bet - whether in the form of buying a lottery ticket, playing bingo, visiting a land-based casino, playing online, or placing a wager on horseracing, football and other sports.
The regulated betting and gaming industry, including the land-based sector, already generates a big economic contribution throughout the UK, with BGC members supporting 110,000 jobs, generating £4.2 billion in tax, and contributing £7.1 billion to the economy.
On the other hand, the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.40% of the adult population are problem gamblers.
Source:
https://bettingandgamingcouncil.com/news/bgc-calls-for-urgent-implementation-of-casino-modernisation-plans
Free image:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/casino-table-in-close-up-view-4677402/
