More betting shops per capita in Southend than anywhere else in Essex

There is some interesting information on gambling in The Guardian (Gambling map of England). I have extracted some data for Essex. This shows that my borough of Southend-on-Sea is the most saturated in terms of betting shops.

authority	Number of people per betting shop licence (people over 15 years of age)	Ranking all local authorities on a scale of deprivation (where 1 is most deprived and 4 is least deprived) this borough is in band
Southend-on-Sea	3758	2
Harlow	5492	2
Brentwood	5555	4
Epping Forest	5739	3
Basildon	6157	3
Castle Point	6167	3
Thurrock	6605	3
Braintree	7059	4
Rochford	7689	4
Colchester	7961	3
Tendring	8364	2
Chelmsford	9943	4
Uttlesford	12920	4
Maldon	17200	4

I feel somewhat justified in my campaigning on gambling. I have never been one for banning, but I do worry about the spread of betting shops, especially as I represent a ward with two high streets.

The deprivation ranking is also noteworthy.

FOBT motion

Here is the motion I put to Full Council last Thursday:

This council notes:

1. The prevalence of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops, often referred to in the media as “the crack cocaine of gambling”.

2. That, unlike fruit machines in pubs, bingo halls and amusement arcades where cash stakes are limited to £2, gamblers can bet with cash or via a debit card up to £100 every 20 seconds on FOBTs, more than four times as fast as the rate of play in casinos.

3. That in 2012, over £1.5bn was lost on FOBTs across the UK. More profit was made from FOBTs than from the National Lottery, when according to the most recent British Gambling Prevalence Survey, 56% of the population play the Lottery, but just 4% play FOBTs.

4. Empirical evidence that suggests FOBTs are the most addictive form of gambling.

5. Research carried out by Geofutures, which found there to be four times as many betting shops in areas of high unemployment than in areas of low unemployment.

6. Research carried out by 2CV in Newham, which found that the average bet per spin on FOBTs is £17, and the average amount of cash inserted into the machine is £55 per session, with one in five putting in over £100 a time.

7. Nationally, more than 80% of turnover in betting shops and more than half of profits are derived from FOBTs. Less than 20% of stakes in betting shops are over the counter.

8. A recent economic analysis undertaken by Landman Economics, commissioned by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which assessed the impact of FOBTs on local economies and across the wider economy. The report concluded that every £1bn spent on FOBTs produces a net reduction of 13,000 jobs, compared to if spent in the wider consumer economy. The projected doubling of revenue from FOBTs by 2023 could cost a further 23,000 jobs across the economy.

9. Concern that the Government has not addressed the issues caused by FOBTs, and the announcement made by Maria Miller MP, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, on 10th October 2013 in response to the Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes, where the stakes on FOBTs were unchanged.

10. The position in the Republic of Ireland where the Government has introduced legislation to outlaw FOBTs in betting shops.

This council believes that the increase in FOBTs is causing significant problems and believes that the Government should either use the existing legislative framework, or introduce legislation to outlaw B2 casino games in betting shops.

At the very least, local authorities should be given the powers to protect the local amenity and wellbeing of communities by (1) stopping the proliferation of betting shops and (2) reducing the maximum stakes and slowing down the speed of play.

This council therefore requests:

1. The Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport to outline the terms of this motion and demand urgent action against FOBTs by the Government.

2. The use of the Sustainable Communities Act as a means to reduce the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals to £2 per spin is explored.

This was seconded by Cllr Anne Jones (Labour, Kursaal) and will be discussed at Cabinet.

Ever wanted to know how many betting shops there are in Southend’s town centre?

I have been asked on a couple of occasions whether I know many betting shops there are in Southend-on-Sea. Each time I have replied in the negative, and each time I have added that it feels like there are more than there used to be.

Last night I decided to do a quick survey of the High Street and the area immediately either side of it. I hope I have not missed any, the following table shows the betting shops I spotted.

Betfred	London Road
Ladbrokes	Southchurch Road
Paddy Power	Southchurch Road
Coral	Southchurch Road
William Hill	High Street
Coral	High Street
Betfred	High Street

Now, let’s kill the hyperbole – the High Street is not overrun with betting shops. However, quite whether seven in a reasonably small area is too many is a matter of opinion. I will be monitoring the situation to see whether we get an increase in years to come.

I did spot other establishments of a, ahem, certain type. No Wonga as yet.

H & T Pawnbrokers	97 Southchurch Road
Cashconverters	42 Southchurch Road
Albemarle Bond pawnbrokers	28 Southchurch Road
Southend Discount Gold	High Street
The Money Shop pawnbroker	High Street
Alex John pawnbroker	Weston Road
The Pawnbroker	5 Alexandra Street

There is a large question mark hanging over the High Street in regards to its future. Whether it is true or not there is a sense that it is a place falling prey to charity shops, cafes, pawnbrokers and betting shops. Whilst there are still the major brands present, my sense is that they are in retreat. Right or wrong, a High Street with increasing numbers of pawnbrokers, betting shops, and similar, looks like one in decline. There are likely many factors causing this, and whilst these may be beyond the wit of a politician to do much about, nonetheless one cannot but be concerned.

James Duddridge: seeking misery and demeaning the persecuted

Apart from a direct debit online to the National Lottery (which I rely on them telling me if and when I win – I do not check my numbers) I do not gamble. I am not anti-gambling though, it just has never appealed to me. However, having seen close up how addictive it can be, and the damages that the addiction can and does bring, I think it right that gambling is closely controlled.

I am concerned that some local politicians, notably blue ones, want Southend-on-Sea to become a seaside Las Vegas. This concerns me on a number of levels.

Firstly I should declare an interest – I have been actively campaigning against some forms of gambling and the spread of betting shops in the high streets in my ward of Milton (for example here and here).

The town is now home to a university campus and boasts a learning quarter – home to the campus, the college, and the Forum. I do not think that a town that clearly wants to attract young people to continue their learning experience should have this cheek-by-jowl with casinos and betting shops. I think young people are susceptible to influence. I cannot imagine that there are many parents who will be comfortable with the idea of their children being taught on the doorsteps of gambling establishments, with all the potential for damage that that brings.

James Duddridge, Conservative MP for Rochford and Southend East, thinks otherwise. He praises the establishment of a new casino in the High Street.

Mr Duddridge goes further; he wants gaming laws relaxed. He boasts that Southend is the “epicentre of bricks and mortar casinos”. I despair.

The town centre has high levels of deprivation. The Gambling Commission suggest that “area deprivation was significantly associated with frequency and volume of gambling, with those living in the most deprived areas gambling more often than those in less deprived areas”.

The Government is making the poor poorer, and now one of its number wants to add to their misery.

Mr Duddridge, one who is an enemy of human rights, has also made an outrageously slur against those who are fleeing persecution. He says that temporarily housing asylum seekers makes an area a no-go area. This really is a most shameful statement, and I call on the Member of Parliament to withdraw it.

Last night’s meeting on the spread of betting shops

Last night was my debut in chairing a public meeting, and I think it went reasonably well. Of course, I have sat on the panel for a number of public meetings over the years, often sharing the stage with some quite distinguished guests. Last night it was my pleasure to introduce two campaign consultants for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, Adrian Parkinson and Matt Zarb-Cousin. I have known Matt for a few years, Adrian was new to me.

After my introduction Adrian and Matt gave a concise account of the problem, which boils down to issues with FOBTs (fixed odds betting terminals). Their talk was followed by a conversation between the audience, the two campaigners, and me. We covered the specific issue of FOBTs and wider issues with gambling and the spread of betting shops in our high streets.

Adrian, a former senior manager in the betting industry, had featured in a recent Panorama on these new machines; Matt has appeared on Dispatches talking about his former gambling addiction. Mention was made of the increased violence now seen because of these new, highly addictive terminals (a 9% increase in violence in betting shops between 2009 and 2011). These terminals turn ordinary gamblers into hard core gamblers and are unlike any other machine in any other country in the world. In the opinion of the two Fairer Gambling campaigners the FOBT breach the three licensing objectives.

Labour has promised to introduce a new use class for planning applications just for betting shops that will enable local authorities to better deal with them. Let’s hope that this promise materializes and that an incoming Labour government helps councils and councilors properly address the concerns of its residents in respect of the takeover of the high streets by bookmakers.

I was pleased to see three Labour councillors attend last night’s event, and a bit surprised to see no-one from the other parties. I can only conclude that in Southend-on-Sea it is only Labour that is prepared to address the concerns of residents and tackle the issue of the spread of betting shops.

Betting shops at the north end of Hamlet Court Road

I took these photographs last summer. These three betting shops are all within a short distance of each other.

Other than a small direct debit for the National Lottery I do not gamble, but I am not anti-gambling. People should be free to choose how they spend their money. However, I am concerned about the state of the high streets in Westcliff-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea and think a surfeit of betting shops sends out a signal of decline. There is also the issue of addiction and use by people who can ill-afford to waste their income.

There is another betting shop just around the corner in the London Road. There could well be more in the vicinity – I admit to not doing a thorough survey.

Public meeting about betting shops

Public meeting about betting shops

Help us stop the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling

Thursday 20th June 2013

7 to 9pm

To be held at the Milton Community Partnership
St Mark’s Centre
Princes Street
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Essex SS1 1QA

You will no doubt have noticed an increase in the number of betting shops popping up in our community over recent years.

The primary use of these betting shops is gaming via Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) – roulette and casino gaming machines able to facilitate bets of up to £100 every 20 seconds, meaning it is possible to stake up to £18,000 an hour. The Gambling Act 2005 limits each betting shop to four FOBTs, but bookies leapfrog these regulations by opening up as many shops as possible in each area.

Bookies open up in poor areas with high levels of unemployment – the 50 constituencies with the highest levels of unemployment in the UK contain 1,251 betting shops with 4,454 FOBTs, while the 50 constituencies with the lowest levels of unemployment have only 287 betting shops and 1,045 terminals.

I’d like to invite you to a meeting we have organised with the leaders of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s ‘Stop the FOBTs’ campaign to discuss action that we can take. The meeting is open to all so please feel free to share this invite with friends, family, work colleagues and neighbours.

This public meeting will be chaired by Cllr Julian Ware-Lane, who represents Milton ward. This ward has two high streets, and both have clusters of betting shops. Fairer Gambling will be represented by Matt Zarb-Cousin and Adrian Parkinson. Their presentation will be followed by a question and answer session where everyone will have a chance to have their say.

Cllr Julian Ware-Lane

cllrware-lane@southend.gov.uk

07989 564743