Gambling centres ‘clustered’ in deprived areas

Half of the UK’s adult gaming centres (AGCs) are based in the country’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, according to new BBC analysis.

AGCs, which can operate around the clock, host automated gaming machines offering jackpots worth hundreds of pounds. Data from the Gambling Commission shows that 664 of the roughly 1,400 licensed premises are situated in the top 20% of deprived areas.

Anna Hargrave, chief executive of the charity Gamble Aware, described the concentration of AGCs in poorer communities as “concerning”, warning that residents in these areas are twice as likely to experience gambling-related harm.

The industry’s trade body, BACTA, rejected suggestions that operators deliberately target disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It said members “invest in high streets that need regeneration” and comply with strict licensing rules.

Calls for Reform

Earlier this year, council leaders urged ministers to overhaul the “aim to permit” duty in the Gambling Act 2005, which obliges local authorities to approve licence applications if minimum criteria are met, even when there is strong local opposition. Campaigners argue the requirement limits councils’ ability to curb the spread of AGCs.

West Norfolk councillor Deborah Heneghan, who has four AGCs in her small ward, said the venues were reshaping the “look, feel and tone” of high streets and disproportionately affecting deprived communities. She accused the industry of “targeting” vulnerable areas.

A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said decisions on premises licences rest with local authorities. The government, they added, intends to introduce powers allowing councils to carry out cumulative impact assessments “when parliamentary time allows”. These would enable authorities to consider whether the density of gambling venues undermines licensing objectives.

Industry and Government Response

The Local Government Association said councils needed “flexible powers” to refuse applications for gambling premises near schools, health services and other sensitive locations.

But BACTA’s communications director, Allastar Gair, insisted local authorities already have the ability to reject applications where licensing objectives are at risk. He said the sector is “tightly regulated” and continues to raise standards through improved training and safer gambling measures.

“A new AGC does not open without a full licensing process, council oversight and a detailed risk assessment,” he said. “Operators do not target deprived areas; they take on long-term empty units and invest in high streets that need regeneration.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the government remained committed to giving councils greater powers to limit gambling premises. “We’ll do everything we can to halt the decline people are seeing in their towns and high streets,” they added.