Communities across Britain are seeing traditional high street shops replaced by betting establishments, prompting Labour MP Dawn Butler to launch a campaign for urgent gambling law reform. In an article for the Guardian, Butler argues that the current system gives too much power to overseas corporations while leaving local residents and councils powerless to resist the proliferation of gambling venues.
Butler, MP for Brent in west London, highlights that her constituency has 81 licensed gambling enterprises, with 11 located within 0.3 miles of Wembley Stadium. She notes that a clause in the Gambling Act 2005, known as the 'aim to permit' provision, forces local authorities to approve new applications or face costly legal challenges. Deleting this clause, she says, would give more weight to the views of residents and MPs, resulting in fewer gambling shops.
The MP cites a 2021 survey of her constituents, in which 75% called for betting shops to be limited and 65% demanded more council licensing powers. She also shares personal accounts of the harm caused by gambling addiction, including one resident who said the addiction 'destroyed my family and our relationship with my father' and left them feeling nauseous when passing gambling stores.
Butler points to national figures showing a decline in betting shops from over 9,000 in 2011 to around 6,000 in 2023, but argues this is little comfort to areas that remain saturated. Brent council has joined 40 other UK councils and organisations in calling for reform. Council leader Muhammed Butt said: 'We know the damage that saturation gambling can do – to mental health, public safety and our local economy.'
The MP describes the situation as a public health, economic and moral emergency, noting that more than one person dies from gambling-related suicide every day. She calls for an increase in gambling tax, which former chancellor Gordon Brown has described as under-taxed, estimating that a modest rise could raise £3bn a year.
