![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Scottish_flag-300x200.jpg\")
The UK trade body for betting and gambling, the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has come out and attacked Scotland\u2019s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the governments stance towards reopening of betting shops and that it could collapse the industry if measures currently in place are not changed.<\/p>\n
See below for statement:<\/strong><\/p>\n Betting\u00a0shops in Scotland are facing job losses and closures\u00a0after takings plummeted as a result of\u00a0\u201cdraconian\u201d\u00a0restrictions imposed by the Scottish Government, Nicola Sturgeon has been warned.<\/p>\n Uniquely, bookies\u00a0north of the Border\u00a0were told they would have to remove chairs, switch off gaming machines and agree not to show live racing before they could re-open as the Covid-19 lockdown is eased.<\/p>\n The measures, which\u00a0are far stricter than those imposed in other parts of the United Kingdom,\u00a0have driven\u00a0frustrated punters\u00a0away\u00a0and seen takings\u00a0tumble, according to operators.<\/p>\n After opening their doors again on 29 June,\u00a0Scottish\u00a0operators have seen their turnover fall by up to 95% compared to before lockdown.<\/p>\n That means Scotland\u2019s 900 betting shops, which employ 4,500 people, are now running at a loss \u2013 putting a\u00a0huge\u00a0question mark over their long-term future.<\/p>\n The uncertainty also extends to Scottish racing, which relies on vital media rights payments from betting shops which have dried up because of the live telly ban.<\/p>\n Last week,\u00a0First Minister\u00a0Ms\u00a0Sturgeon said she wanted to get every Scottish business \u201ctrading viably as quickly as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n Michael Dugher, chief executive of the standards body Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said:<\/p>\n \u201cOur members warned in advance that the draconian restrictions being proposed by the Scottish Government were unnecessary and would have a devastating\u00a0impact\u00a0on their businesses \u2013 sadly they have been proved right.<\/p>\n \u201cNicola Sturgeon was right to say she wanted every business \u2018trading viably\u2019 but the Scottish Government is single-handedly wrecking the viability of hundreds of betting shops in Scotland. \u00a0Scottish betting shops are bracing themselves for closures and there are thousands of jobs at stake unless Nicola Sturgeon re-thinks.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that we need to restrict numbers in shops, but that can be done at the entrance, just like with any other high street retail shop in Scotland or as is the case in every other betting shop elsewhere in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cMaking bookies open without any chairs or live racing shows a complete misunderstanding of how they operate. Customers don\u2019t sit\u00a0in\u00a0for hours \u2013 they like\u00a0to\u00a0pop\u00a0in for a bet and\u00a0then sit down and watch how their horse or greyhound got on.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen how betting shops\u00a0elsewhere in the UK\u00a0have been able to re-open perfectly safely with social distancing and anti-Covid\u00a0measures like screens and hand sanitisers, and the\u00a0exact same measures are in place in Scotland.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u00a0would urge Nicola Sturgeon to intervene before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The UK trade body for betting and gambling, the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has come out and attacked Scotland\u2019s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the governments stance towards reopening of betting shops and that it could collapse the industry if measures currently in place are not changed. See below for statement: Betting\u00a0shops in Scotland […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":42260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2,11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-gaming","category-headlines","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\n