UK Gambling Industry Fires Back at Andy Burnham Over “Dodgy Businesses” High Street Comparison

The UK gambling industry has hit back hard at Prime Minister Andy Burnham after he grouped betting shops with vape stores and “rogue operators” while diagnosing what he called Britain’s failing high streets. Bookmakers, arcade operators and industry figures say the comparison ignores the facts on the ground and unfairly casts a shrinking, heavily regulated sector as a convenient political villain.

Burnham’s government is moving to strip the “aim to permit” principle from the Gambling Act 2005, a change that would give local councils far more power to reject applications for new betting shops and adult gaming centres, which would also face a new planning-permission requirement. It’s the language around the announcement, not just the policy itself, that has drawn the sharpest backlash.

Shrinking Sector, Not a Takeover

Industry defenders point to a simple problem with Burnham’s narrative: betting shops aren’t proliferating on the British high street, they’re disappearing from it. The UK now has fewer than 5,900 betting shops, down from nearly 9,000 in 2015 — a contraction that has been running for more than a decade, not a recent explosion.

JenningsBet chief executive Greg Knight didn’t hold back, calling the “dodgy business” framing an insult to employees and customers alike. He noted his own company opened four shops this year but closed three, netting just one location of organic growth, with most expansion coming through acquisition rather than new openings. He warned that giving councils broader discretion could bring new openings to “a halt,” even though applications are already scarce.

The adult gaming centre sector has made a nearly identical case. Bacta communications director Alistair Gair pointed to AGC venue counts falling from 1,610 in 2015 to 1,502 last year, arguing “this is a sector in decline, not one taking over Britain’s high streets.” Gair also warned that restricting licensed, alcohol-free, supervised venues could push customers toward unregulated alternatives with none of the same protections.

Blaming the Wrong Cause

Some critics argue Burnham has the cause and effect backwards. Christopher Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs wrote that betting and gaming operators haven’t displaced a thriving retail economy — they’ve simply become more visible as falling rents let them move into units already abandoned by traditional shops. He called the idea that high streets can be revived “by killing off the few remaining businesses that are able to operate on it” simply misguided, pointing instead to a structural shift toward supermarkets and online shopping that has permanently reduced demand for many traditional retailers.

Rank Group chief executive Richard Harris defended the sector’s role during the company’s year-end results call, describing its venues as “community assets” that provide supervised entertainment. Other voices in the industry, including consultant Patrick Jay, say the sector has failed to fight back effectively against critics who have shaped the public narrative largely unopposed, arguing operators need a far more aggressive and immediate response to counter what they view as one-sided messaging from anti-gambling advocates.

What Comes Next

The dispute now lands on the desk of Vicki Foxcroft, the newly appointed minister responsible for gambling policy, who inherits an industry that feels maligned, a prime minister who has already staked out his language, and a policy proposal that raises thorny legislative questions despite its simple framing. For bettors and operators watching the regulatory landscape shift, the fight over “aim to permit” could shape how many licensed venues remain accessible in the years ahead — a dynamic worth tracking alongside the broader push toward online options like the DraftKings promo code and other regulated digital alternatives gaining ground as retail footprints shrink.