closing High Street betting shops<\/a> throughout the UK, online operators \u2013 including 888 \u2013 say they’ve seen an increase in play.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe UKGC has an annual budget of around \u00a319m ($23.4 million), but regulates an industry that won nearly $14 billion from gamblers last year. And with the commission set to become even smaller, opponents are voicing their frustrations.<\/p>\n
“It further underscores the need for the government to step forward and take definitive legislative action and to strengthen, not weaken, the regulatory framework,” said Matt Gaskell, who studies gambling for the UK National Health Service (NHS).<\/p>\n
Bookmakers Hurting<\/b><\/h2>\n
As of April 1, 2019, High Street betting shops were forced to reduce their maximum allowable bet on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) from \u00a3100 to \u00a32 (~$123 to $2.50). Additionally, the government increased the tax on internet gaming from 15 percent to 21 percent, the change a result of the expected tax revenue reduction from the lower max betting limit.<\/p>\n
All the major UK bookmakers opposed the changes, with William Hill saying the modifications will put 4,000 jobs at risk. The company announced the closure of 700 brick-and-mortar shops last spring.<\/p>\n
\n
Only businesses deemed “essential” are allowed to currently have their doors open because of the coronavirus. The Government of the United Kingdom closed all casinos and betting shops on March 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The NHS says 55,242 people have tested positive in the UK, and the disease has killed 6,159. One such positive case is British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remains in the ICU at St. Thomas’ Hospital in central London. Authorities say he is “stable” as of this morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is reducing its number of employees, a decision that is being scolded by critics who feel the agency is already understaffed. The Guardian was recently tipped off to the workforce cutback. The UKGC refused to specify how many jobs it might eliminate, but did confirm it’s finalizing a new organizational […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":132404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
UK Gambling Commission Reducing Staff, Critics Pan Decision<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n