A syndicate of more than 30 local authorities is campaigning against the rise of adult gaming centres (AGCs).
The betting and gaming facilities are unevenly distributed across the UK, with a higher number of AGCs existing in deprived areas, reported The Guardian.
Spearheaded by Brent Council, the coalition is calling for ‘urgent gambling reform’ to prevent betting shops from ‘taking over’ high streets.
The movement is supported by Labour MPs, including Andrew Pakes and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and seeks to abolish the ‘aim to permit’ rule in the Gambling Act 2005, which enables licensing authorities to allow gambling based on ‘reasonably consistent’ licensing objectives, according to the Gambling Commission.
The Gambling Commission found that the annual increase for gaming and betting profits reached 3.5% by March 2024, with the overall revenue valued at £11.5bn.
Andrew Pake said: ‘The rapid uncontrolled growth of adult gaming centres says a lot about the decline of our high streets.
‘We need power to take back control and to update gambling rules.’
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