Bacta: “You cannot protect consumers by weakening the regulated market”

In an exclusive op-ed for SBC News, Allaster Gair, Director of Communications at UK low-stake gambling trade body Bacta, responds to PM Andy Burnham’s recent comments about Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) being used as a funding source to support other high-street businesses.

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The recent raid on two illegal gambling dens in Doncaster should serve as a warning to policymakers.

A joint operation involving the Gambling Commission, South Yorkshire Police, Immigration Enforcement and Doncaster Council resulted in eight arrests. Officers seized almost £9,000 and discovered poker tables, slot machines and account books at two unlicensed premises.

The authorities deserve credit for taking decisive action. But the case exposes an uncomfortable truth. Illegal gambling is already taking place in British communities, beyond the safeguards and scrutiny imposed on licensed operators.

That should be remembered whenever decisions are made about the future of the regulated land-based sector.

Making it increasingly difficult for legitimate operators to remain viable does not remove demand for gambling. It risks leaving greater space for precisely the kind of unlicensed activity uncovered in Doncaster.

A licensed Adult Gaming Centre must comply with strict Gambling Commission requirements, prevent underage access, operate self-exclusion arrangements and train staff to identify vulnerability. Its premises can be inspected, its machines must meet technical standards and its operators contribute through taxation, licence fees and the statutory gambling levy.

An illegal gambling den offers none of those assurances. There is no guarantee that its machines are fair, vulnerable customers will receive support or criminal behaviour will be identified. Illegal operators also make no contribution to the Exchequer or to gambling research, prevention and treatment.

Yet too often, legitimate operators are discussed as though their presence is itself the problem. This ignores the important distinction between gambling taking place in a licensed, supervised environment and gambling occurring behind closed doors without meaningful safeguards.

A viable regulated market gives customers an accessible alternative to illegal provision, with trained staff present and enforceable protections in place. Weakening that market does not make gambling disappear. It makes the legal offer less competitive while illegal operators continue to pay nothing and observe none of the rules.

This is not an argument against regulation. Bacta supports robust, proportionate and properly enforced standards. Licensed operators that fail to meet them should face appropriate action.

But policy must reflect real-world behaviour. The Doncaster raids demonstrate the resources required to tackle illegal gambling once it becomes established. Prevention must therefore include maintaining a viable, visible and well-regulated legal sector.

If the government is serious about keeping gambling safe and crime-free, it must enforce the law against those operating outside it. It must also recognise responsible licensed businesses as part of the solution.

You cannot protect consumers by weakening the regulated market and leaving illegal operators to fill the space.