An undercover operation undertaken by File on 4 Investigates found that a BBC reporter who had placed himself on a self-exclusion register was able to play on slot machines at four out of five Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) he entered in Portsmouth, England.
Once signed up to a self-exclusion scheme at an AGC, a player’s image should be shared among similar venues within a 1km radius, and any players on the list should be prevented from playing. This distance can be extended further by calling a helpline.
“We take protecting consumers extremely seriously,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told iGaming Expert. “The results of this BBC investigation are very concerning, and we will be taking urgent steps to investigate what has happened.”
According to the BBC, two of the venues the reporter entered were not signed up to a self-exclusion scheme, breaching one of the conditions of their gaming licence. They have since begun working with a self-exclusion scheme.
There are two self-exclusion schemes that AGCs can join. One called SmartExclusion and another run by Bacta, the trade body for AGC venues.
The UKGC notes that local authorities are responsible for licensing such premises, and part of the licensing fee they charge is used to inspect gambling businesses in regards to their compliance with responsible gambling measures.
Within the BBC report, Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UKGC, committed to “double down” on efforts to ensure that these checks are performed.
“Most of all, we do need to see inspections of those properties,” he told the BBC. “They’re not onerous, for just checking that what [AGCs are] actually doing is what they’re meant to do, and they’re not doing stuff which is marginally illegal.”
AGC scrutiny escalates
These damming findings come at a time when such gambling venues are facing increasing scrutiny from local authorities, who accuse AGCs of targeting the poorest areas of the UK.
In April, a letter addressed to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed fear that local communities are being overwhelmed by “24-hour slot shops”.
36 councils and two mayors, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, signed the letter calling for “key reforms of the Gambling Act”, which they believe has overlooked community-level concerns about gambling harms.
In particular, leaders are demanding greater local authority control over granting gambling licences to venues.
Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and author of the letter, commented: “Communities like Brent are experiencing a surge of land-based gambling operators spreading along our high streets, seemingly targeting areas of higher deprivation to maximise profits. The alarming concentration of these premises often faces strong community opposition, as well as concerns from public health and community safety officials.
“But despite this shared opposition among residents, police, and politicians, councils have found themselves effectively powerless to intervene. The current statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ duty severely restricts a council’s ability to block the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.”
Concerning compliance failures
Within the BBC report, gamblers shared their own experience of the failings of staff at AGCs.
One gambler spoken to as part of the investigation revealed that a member of staff at an AGC offered to show her how to remove a block on her bank account that she had put in place to prevent her from making transactions at gambling venues.
Meanwhile, the report also spoke to the family of a woman whose problem gambling activity sparked UKGC intervention against Merkur Slots UK Limited.
In February, the operator was handed a £95,450 fine for failing to interact with the customer, who lost £1,981 across two gaming sessions at its AGC in Stockport.
According to the UKGC’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), premises-based businesses such as Merkur are obligated to interact with customers to minimise the risk of customers experiencing gambling harm.
The UKGC noted at the time of announcing the penalty, Merkur had taken action to correct the compliance failure at the store in question.
“We urge anyone with concerns to report potential breaches of our rules through our confidential report line as soon as they can,” advised the UKGC spokesperson.
