A call has been made for casinos in Scotland to be reopened. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) in Scotland believe there is no logic in them remaining closed. With no scheduled date for them to open again, the damage to the casino industry is growing as every day goes by.
The BGC have used a report by hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley to press home their views. The report says that having a different approach between casinos and restaurants has “no logical or scientific reason.”
The report by Dr Ackerley has looked at hospitality facilities in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. An independent study of Grosvenor casinos was carried out as she looked at how they were coping with the pandemic.
In her view, going to that casino is safer than visiting other venues in the hospital industry. More has been done to protect those who work at or visit their facilities than in some restaurants and pubs. So why are they still closed?
The recent plans announced for England see casinos reopening on May 17. However, in Scotland the situation is not so good for casinos. Pubs and restaurants can reopen in regions under level three of the regulations. However, for casinos they have to wait until regions drop to level two. That means even more time closed.
All of which is putting the future of casinos in Scotland under an increasing threat of closure. Michael Dugher is the BGC chief executive. He believes that 700 casino jobs are at risk.
The report has also received the support of Jonathan Swaine. He’s the Managing Director of Grosvenor Casinos and has called on the Scottish government to look again at their plans. His view is that the report includes accurate scientific evidence that it is wrong to treat casinos differently.
The BGC are not happy about the fact that Scottish government officials haven’t visited gaming facilities. Invitations had been sent out to see just how the casinos had been reacting to the pandemic.
Without visiting the venues, they just don’t know what steps have been taken. The view of the BGC is that staff members and consumers are being protected. If casinos in Scotland aren’t reopened soon, then it is possible that recovering from the affects of the pandemic might not be achievable
It’s an ongoing battle for the BGC to protect the gambling industry. Betting shops are still closed and with the Cheltenham Festival on the horizon that’s bad news. Yes, punters can bet online but not everyone has the internet at home, so that’s a massive amount of custom that is being lost at one of the biggest gambling times of the year both in England and Scotland.
The hope is that the situation in Scotland will be resolved and the casinos given the chance to show just how safe they can be.
