Most of the Betting Venues are Hosted in the Poorest Areas of the UK

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

• Twitter
• Email

More About John Isaac

Last updated: September 11, 2021

A study by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom has revealed that the places where there is the most bet are those areas where poverty prevails. Research collected by the BBC also indicates that it is ten times easier to find a bookmaker in a poor neighborhood than it is in a rich one. That is why the British Government’s Gambling Commission wants to introduce changes to the law governing gambling: Addressing the damage caused by gambling is a number one priority for the Gaming Commission.

A spokesperson for that commission explains that they will carefully consider the problems raised by any investigation related to gambling. And measures will be taken through the national strategy to reduce the damage caused by gambling. According to data, there are still more bookmakers in the country than stores in the eight largest supermarket chains together!

This might sound concerning which is perhaps why the UK authorities lately have been working hard on regulating gambling and sports betting in order to protect those who are vulnerable i.e. gambling addicts.

More About the Findings of the Study

The statistics demonstrate that only 10% of all food stores are located in the poorest areas, 34% of the betting rooms, 30%, are concentrated in those same areas of bingo halls, and 29% of casinos. Meanwhile, the more prosperous areas have a better distribution where services are more distributed.

The situation is such in the United Kingdom that the NGO ‘Living with the game’ estimates the number of annual deaths of young British people who have had a gambling addiction at 500. That organization is led by Liz and Charles Ritchie, a couple who lost their son to gambling, and they explain how gambling operators work. According to them, these companies are targeting the poor and the young. They know the tragic cost of this goal: at least one death a day. Many of the youth they have lost were drawn to play places very close to schools or on their bus routes home.

However, the truth is that there are many more cases like this one as there are many people who are struggling with gambling addiction and have serious issues when it comes to dealing with it once it gets very severe.

More About the Gambling Association

The gambling association assures that they generate 119,000 jobs and 4,500 million in taxes from this NGO. They ask the British government to allow municipalities the right to veto the installation of new gambling venues, especially in areas close to schools. However, from the association that encompasses gambling operators in the United Kingdom, everything is seen from a very different prism.

One of its spokespersons explains that these companies, in the UK alone, generate 119,000 jobs, 4.5 billion pounds in taxes to pay for vital public services and contribute 7.7 billion pounds to the economy in gross value added. Stores alone Gambling companies employ some 46,000 people nationwide, pay £ 1bn in Treasury taxes and £ 60m in business fees for local councils; While casinos work 11,000 people and pay £ 500m per year in taxes.