'Thousands of jobs at stake' - Sturgeon urged to act on Scottish betting shops

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to intervene and ease restrictions on betting shops “before it’s too late” after the bookmaking industry body warned hundreds of outlets face closure.

Betting shops opened in Scotland last Monday for the first time since March, two weeks after England, but with tougher measures to enforce social distancing, including no live racing being shown, no gaming machines and no chairs for customers to use.

Over-the-counter takings from punters have plummeted as a result of the restrictions, according to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), with operators in Scotland reporting turnover had dropped 95 per cent compared to before the lockdown.

The BGC believes the dramatic fall in business has placed the future of 900 betting shops and 4,500 staff in jeopardy unless Sturgeon and the Scottish government change their approach.

Michael Dugher, BGC chief executive, said: “Our members warned in advance that the draconian restrictions being proposed by the Scottish government were unnecessary and would have a devastating impact on their businesses. Sadly they have been proved right.

“Nicola Sturgeon was right to say she wanted every business ‘trading viably’ but the Scottish government is single-handedly wrecking the viability of hundreds of betting shops. Scottish betting shops are bracing themselves for closures and there are thousands of jobs at stake unless Nicola Sturgeon rethinks. We would urge her to intervene before it’s too late.”

Nicola Sturgeon: 'We would urge her to intervene before it’s too late”Credit: Stu Forster (Getty Images)

Dugher pointed to the systems in place in betting shops in England as a clear indicator that the methods in place in Scotland were too strict, and that they were based on a lack of understanding of customer behaviour.

He said: “I’ve seen how betting shops elsewhere in the UK have been able to reopen perfectly safely with social distancing and anti-Covid measures like screens and hand sanitisers, and the exact same measures are in place in Scotland.

“Making bookies open without any chairs or live racing shows a complete misunderstanding of how they operate. Customers don’t sit in for hours – they like to pop in for a bet and then sit down and watch how their horse or greyhound got on.

“I understand that we need to restrict numbers in shops, but that can be done at the entrance, just like with any other high street retail shop in Scotland or as is the case in every other betting shop elsewhere in the UK.”

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