John Heaton, Chairman of Scotbet, has stated that Scotland’s independent bookmakers are facing a fight for survival, as businesses enter an unprecedented autumn and winter trading period. Bookmakers in Scotland were permitted to reopen their doors in June – however, with current government restrictions, Heaton stated that ‘there is no end in sight to the economic calamity that Covid has …
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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has expressed its disappointment in the Scottish government’s decision to tell bookmakers to switch off their gaming machines until further notice. It comes just days after Holyrood confirmed it would be lifting the ban on gaming machines, in-store chairs and live racing in betting shops from 22 July. In a letter to BGC chief …
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Scottish bookmakers have warned First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that hundreds of jobs could be at risk if the government does not implement a business rates relief to help them cope with the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike in England, Holyrood opted to exclude betting shops from its business relief scheme, which was designed to support businesses which had seen …
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Scottish bookmakers have slammed Holyrood’s decision to reopen betting shops without chairs or live racing, stating that the ruling is ‘crazy’ and a ‘slap in the face’ for bookies which have most likely been struggling during the lockdown period. Scotland’s 900 betting shops – employing around 4,500 people – have been closed since March as part of the national effort …
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Scotbet one of the few remaining independent bookmakers operating in Scotland has detailed that it is fighting for its survival, having been placed into receivership last Friday. The struggling bookmaker blames the UK government’s £2 FOBTs stake reduction, detailing its enforcement as ‘the straw which broke the camel’s back’. Restructuring its operations, Scotbet management has been forced to close 11 …
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In a move to improve industry-wide collaboration and tackle problem gambling Aspers, Caesars, Genting, Playtech and the Rank Group have joined UK responsible gambling body Senet Group. The five will sit on the Senet Group’s quarterly CEO forum, which currently offers advice to the group’s Board and independent chairman, Gillian Wilmot. They join GVC (Ladbrokes Coral), William Hill, Paddy Power …
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Betting shop staff in Dunoon have won national recognition for their fundraising and volunteering work in the local community. The Ladbrokes shop in the town’s Moir Street beat entrants from across Scotland to win the ‘Community Betting Shop of the Year Award’ for 2018. And for shop manager Lucy Richmond, who has worked in the shop since she was 18 …
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John Heaton, Chairman of Scotbet, has called upon the Scottish government to ‘strike a balance that respects the right of punters to spend their leisure time and money as they choose, while protecting the small number who get into difficulty’. Writing a column in The Scotsman, he cited the perceived problem of gambling addiction as a major reason for the …
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The Senet Group, the betting industry body set up by the sector’s major operators, has refreshed its Board at the start of 2016. Catherine Colloms, Director of Corporate Affairs at Paddy Power, and Donal McCabe, Group Corporate Communications Director of Ladbrokes, have been appointed to the Board of the gambling watchdog. Colloms and McCabe take the roles of Industry Directors …
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The Glasgow pilot scheme which gives someone who may be developing a problem with their gambling a one-stop facility to exclude themselves from all betting shop operators across the City is expanding from today, to include more shops and more operators. Launched in July with 36 participating shops across the five major betting shop operators the scheme will be expanded …
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