Worries over croupier shortage following new immigration laws
The BCG (Betting and Gaming Council) have warned there could be a shortage of croupiers in land-based casinos, following the new immigration rules set to come into play next year.
Points based immigration system
Following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, a new points-based system will be introduced on 1stJanuary 2021 meaning that non-UK citizens will have to qualify for entry. Entrants will need to have specific qualifications, skills or professions to be accepted for entry into the UK, and the worry now is that croupiers, up to 70% of which are from overseas, will not meet the required points.
The Betting and Gaming Council have warned this could have a significant impact on the countries land-based casino industry, tourism and night-time economy.
Casino industry contribution
Although it has faced much criticism over recent years, the gambling and casino industry contributes significantly to the UK economy. The BGC stated that land-based casinos contribute over £300million to the UK economy each year, providing direct employment to over 14,000 people and supporting another 4,000 jobs indirectly. This new points system and the potential effect on croupiers, could hit the hospitality and tourism industry hard.
The BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said “Casinos are a hugely important part of our country’s leisure industry attracting thousands of wealthy tourists to the UK from around the world. In order to remain competitive, our casinos need the best croupiers with great arithmetic agility. While we are determined to grow the number of UK croupiers through the NVG in gaming operations available at many colleges and though world class Nottingham Casino Academy, we need the ability to employ the best from around the world.”
The UK’s casino industry as a whole, directly contributes £463million in gross revenue and £757million when you include indirect revenue and the BGC are keen to urge the Government to work with them to ensure the industry continues to thrive.
