Gambling arcades and betting shops could re-open on 15th June
Bookmakers, casinos and bingo halls all closed their doors in March when the Government announced the country would go into lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with only essential shops and services remaining open. With the latest announcement from the Prime Minister, we could now see some of them beginning to re-open from 15th June.
Restrictions set to ease
With the number of Covid-19 deaths decreasing and the country very slowly easing the restrictions currently in place, the Government announced that outdoor markets and car showrooms could open from 1st June and ‘non-essential’ businesses could begin to re-open from 15th June, providing the Government are satisfied with the key five tests results and all social distancing and hygiene measures are met.
Gambling arcades and high street betting shops are listed as non-essential shops, so this will be welcomed greatly by them, however there is still uncertainty around casinos and bingo halls and they may come under much stricter scrutiny and it could be later in the summer before they can also be re-opened.
Huge losses for Gambling Industry
While there has been an increase in the number of people turning to online betting and online casinos, the closure of bricks and mortar shops has had a huge impact on the industry. When you add that to the fact nearly all sporting fixtures and events have been cancelled, leaving punters with little to bet on, companies such as William Hill, Flutter Entertainment and GVC Holdings are set to lose in the region on £150million.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, even commented that despite the measures put in place to try and help protect businesses from the results of the country-wide lockdown, the gambling industry in particular, has been very heavily hit.
