Bookmaker body gets behind 'historic national effort' despite closure of shops

The body that represents 90 per cent of the UK's bookmaking and gaming industry is determined to be part of a "historic national effort" to defeat coronavirus, protect businesses and safeguard jobs.

The Betting and Gaming Council – the organisation that oversees betting shops, online gaming businesses, bingo and casinos in Britain – has joined the BHA, which has suspended racing until the end of April, in backing stringent government measures which include the closure of all betting shops in Britain to control the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.

Betting shops were included alongside cafes, pubs, museums, leisure centres and cinemas in being told to keep doors closed for the foreseeable future on Friday.

Stay safe: a message to Coral customers in ScotlandCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Those closures were a result of the government's decision to halt social and leisure life and increase social distancing in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Gambling firms privately fear the lockdown could last up to two months following measures announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak, which included, for the first time by a UK government, an offer to pay 80 per cent of wages for employees at any business who would otherwise have been laid off, up to £2,500 a month.

"Our industry will co-operate completely with the government's latest advice," said its chief executive Michael Dugher, who also implored Sunak to rethink the decision that betting shops would not be eligible for 12-month business rates relief.

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"More importantly, we are determined to play our full part in this historic national effort to beat the virus, protect businesses and safeguard jobs.

"We will be scrutinising carefully the package of measures announced by the chancellor to ensure our members and their hard-working, valued staff get the full benefit of this."

Dugher, a former Labour MP, this week described the exemption of betting shops from the rates relief as a "hammer blow" to the industry, which has been badly hit by the coronavirus crisis that has sidelined sport.

He added: "We will be pressing the chancellor to be consistent and do the right thing by people in our industry by giving them the same access to help on business rates that every other leisure business enjoys and who have now similarly been asked to temporarily shut down.

"Casinos and betting shops together support the majority of employment in the betting and gaming industry – around 64,000 jobs. Without the ability to generate revenue from football and horseracing, which account for 75 per cent of the UK-licensed sports betting market, these employment costs were simply unsustainable going forward.

"While we are naturally sad to see our doors closed we hope this decisive action taken by the government will see the whole country come through this crisis and that our businesses, and those who work for them, will prosper in the future as we continue to work hard to raise standards and bring enjoyment to our millions of customers."

BoyleSports and Paddy Power had temporarily closed their retail operations in Ireland on Monday and the latter pre-empted the government move on Friday by announcing their 350 shops in Britain would also shut.

No-go: a shut Paddy PowerCredit: Edward Whitaker

The decision to close shops was in the interests of staff and customers, according to BoyleSports, which entered the UK market last year.

Chief executive Conor Gray said on Saturday: "BoyleSports has a responsibility to protect its staff and its customers. Like other businesses we also have a responsibility to support the government's social-isolation policy. The closure of our shops supports this policy.

"Our online business will, of course, remain open. We will review the closure on an ongoing basis with a view to keeping the best interests of our staff and customers at the forefront of all our decision-making."

GVC Holdings, the parent company of Ladbrokes Coral, also welcomed the clarity of the official guidelines, while a spokesman for Betfred, which has more than 1,500 premises in the UK, said on Saturday morning: "Stay safe. We will be back."

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