Bookies on the high street are out of control - PLEASE HELP

Up and down the UK in our towns and cities we are seeing a proliferation of Bookies on the high street. Under current planning laws bookies can move into vacant premises without planning consent and in the current economic environment as other businesses are going bust or reducing outlets to cut costs the bookies simply move in.

This is Depford High St, where we can see William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Paddy Power within a few steps of each other.

 

Regardless of whether you are pro/anti gambling is this what you envisage for our high streets up and down the country?

For more information and to sign the petition to hand back power to councils and local people to say no to more bookies on the high street click here:

So why do the bookies see the demand for opening more and more outlets? And why are bookies open from 7.30am to 10pm far outside of times when horse racing, dogs, and football events are taking place?

Welcome to the world of FOBTs (Fixed Odds Betting Terminals). They offer games such as bingo and roulette to customers who don’t need to talk to a soul to play. With a maximum spin of £100 and the ability to press ‘repeat bet’ every 20 seconds, it’s not surprising that Ladbrokes took £10.5 billion from them last year alone. 

Limited to 4 FOBTs per shop the best way for the bookies to increase revenue and get around regulation is simply to keep opening new shops. Experts describe FOBTs as the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’. 

Help to keep problem gambling out of the gambling industry and sign the petition here to stop more bookies from popping up on the high street often in the poorest parts of the country and taking money from people who can't afford to lose it. 

I personally have lost many tens of thousands of pounds in these machines which I could not afford to lose, losing my home, job and bringing havoc to my family, friends and anyone around me in the process.