BGC – Scotland and Wales must come clear on casino reopenings

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has urged the governments of Scotland and Wales to publish their plans with regards to reopening casino venues, bringing clarity to affected employees and business owners.

As England’s casinos begin to reopen from Saturday 1 August, Scottish and Welsh counterparts remain in the dark, having been given no indication as to their future business schedules.

The BGC has urged the governments of Scotland and Wales to follow England and allow casinos to reopen this August or face the dire consequences of maintaining a vital hospitality sector six months under lockdown.

In its notice, the BGC underlines that its casino members have worked tirelessly to ensure that their venues are ‘covid secure’ for public engagement, installing perspex screens, advanced track and trace systems, hand sanitiser stations and adopting strict in-venue social distancing guidelines.

The BGC said in its statement “It is now time for the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to follow the example of their English counterparts by letting their casinos re-open.”

“It is now time for ministers in Edinburgh and Cardiff to end the uncertainty which still faces 2,000 casino staff in Scotland and Wales by giving them a date for re-opening. Businesses need clarity and so far this has been lacking from both administrations. We urge them to work with casinos to allow to re-open safely.”