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Gaming law changes could damage bingo halls
A report by marketing consultant, the Henley Centre, has claimed that the proposed changes in gaming laws could have an adverse effect on the bingo industry.
While the transformation of gaming habits – brought on by the law changes – would benefit large resorts and online betting companies, the report says it could lead to closures in other parts of the leisure sector that fail to compete successfully with the changing trends.
The survey, commissioned by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA), predicted that up to 28,000 jobs could be lost in the industry by 2010, as around £1bn of consumer spending could be diverted onto the internet and Las Vegas-style resort casinos.
This in turn would result in the law change only generating an additional £400m for government in tax each year – significantly less than initially hoped.
The report was published on the day Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, called for a consensus over the gaming law proposals, in order to prevent an increase in social problems related to gaming.
Speaking at a select committee meeting, Jowell hinted that amendments could be made to the proposals after the committee reports its final findings in early April.
The committee could use the Henley Centre report as further evidence for calls that licenses to run large casinos should depend on the casinos’ commitments to tackle issues such as addiction and money laundering.
The report predicted that the number of problem gamblers – defined as those whose families are “damaged” by their craving to gamble – could nearly double from its current level of 400,000 by 2010.
It is thought that the government is considering the introduction of obligatory donations by licensees to voluntary groups that tackle addiction and offer counselling.
The Henley report also suggested that the bill would result in the number of casinos nearly doubling, from 122 to 241 and the amount spent on betting escalating from £8.5bn to £10.6bn in five years. Details: www.henleycentre.com