UK casinos offer to stop selling alcohol to avoid new closures

UK casinos have offered to stop selling alcohol in order to avoid "catastrophic closures" in the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions being introduced by the Government, which could lead to thousands of job losses, according to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is next week expected to announce a new three-tier system of local lockdowns that could see hospitality businesses ordered to close for weeks in an attempt to bring down infection rates.

It comes after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Wednesday the closure of hospitality venues – including casinos and bingo halls – across the central belt of Scotland for two weeks starting Saturday, which includes Glasgow and Edinburgh. Casinos in England and Wales have said that a similar move south of the border would be "disastrous" for a sector already reeling from the effects of the first lockdown earlier this year, according to the BGC.

They were only allowed to reopen again in August – having won Public Health England’s backing for their best-in-class anti-Covid measures – before being affected by the 10 pm curfew on hospitality and leisure venues last month. That has seen casino revenues down by up to 70 percent compared to 12 months ago. Casinos employ 14,000 people and raised 1.3 billion pounds for the UK Treasury in the last three years

In a last-ditch bid to avoid closure, the sector has said it is prepared to stop selling alcohol altogether to ensure their omission from the list of businesses being ordered to close.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, has now written to every MP urging them to lobby the Government to allow casinos to stay open. “Casinos have already proved, thanks to their world class track and trace systems, the use of Perspex screens, hand sanitisers and strict social distancing rules, that they are Covid-secure according to Public Health England," he said. “There are relatively few casinos, we know that their impact on Covid is negligible and they have in fact operated perfectly safely since re-opening in August. There are no public health grounds to order their closure now."

“Ministers need to understand that casinos are not pseudo-nightclubs or places where young people go to drink. Nevertheless, they are willing to reduce their risk levels even further by refusing to serve alcohol, which the Government seems to think is another factor in the spread of the virus," Dugher added. “In light of all of this, I would urge ministers to be reasonable and allow casinos to remain safely open and continue to play their part in raising desperately-needed tax revenues for the Treasury, whilst also stopping the spread of the coronavirus.”