Analysis of Gambling Commission data finds five gambling venues on a single Aldershot street, as addiction specialist says support must reach beyond the shopfront
Councils are to get new powers to block betting shops and 24 hour gambling machine venues, under high street reforms announced by the Prime Minister this month. Peter Davies, an addiction specialist at Guildford based Addiction Care, has welcomed the move, but says it only tackles part of what keeps people stuck in addiction.
Under the changes, the government will scrap the “aim to permit” rule that currently limits councils’ ability to refuse new betting shops, and will require planning permission for new adult gaming centres for the first time. Announcing the plans, the government pointed to areas such as Harlesden in London, where ten betting shops sit within a ten minute walk of each other, as evidence of how unchecked clustering has taken hold of some high streets.
The same pattern shows up repeatedly across the country. Analysis of the Gambling Commission’s public licensing data found 216 licensed gambling premises across Surrey and Hampshire’s borough and district councils, 172 of them betting shops. In Aldershot, five gambling venues, including three betting shops, sit on Victoria Road alone. In Woking, three betting shops operate within yards of each other on Commercial Way.
While the reforms might address the surface appearance of the high street, tackling accessibility to gambling requires a far more complex solution than simply refusing planning permission:
“In my view, an addiction is more than the substance or the habit. It’s about what a person turns to when they need to change how they feel. If someone’s working hard to stay away from gambling, a betting shop on their route to the shops isn’t neutral, it’s a trigger. Giving councils the power to say no to another one opening on the same street won’t fix addiction on its own, but it takes away one obstacle standing between someone and their recovery.”
Peter Davies, Founder, addictioncare.co.uk
Triggers on every corner
Davies says the clustering of gambling premises matters because exposure to a familiar environment can drive real cravings, not just discomfort. Research published in the Journal of Gambling Studies found that two thirds of problem gamblers reported moderate to high urges to gamble simply from being in a gambling environment, before a bet was even placed.
Nationally, the Gambling Commission’s most recent survey found 2.4% of adults in Great Britain are classed as higher-risk gamblers, with 2.7% of people who had gambled in the past year reporting at least one severe consequence, most commonly the breakdown of a relationship.
Gambling premises across Surrey and Hampshire
- 216 licensed gambling premises across Surrey and Hampshire’s borough and district councils
- 172 betting shops and 31 adult gaming centres between them
- Five gambling venues, including three betting shops, on Victoria Road, Aldershot
- Three betting shops within yards of each other on Commercial Way, Woking
Recovery needs more than a shut door
The reforms don’t touch online gambling, where much of today’s activity, and much of the risk, has already moved. Davies argues that closing high street loopholes is worthwhile, but it addresses where gambling used to happen more than where it happens now. Addiction Care runs a 24/7 text support line, accessed via addictioncare.co.uk for anyone affected by gambling or any other addiction, alongside its therapy and counselling services across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire.
Media contact
Becky Hinshelwood Leapfrog Internet Marketing [email protected] 01252 217141
About Addiction Care
Peter Davies, the founder of Addiction Care, is based in the centre of Guildford, Surrey. He holds a Diploma in Addiction Therapy and is an Advanced Accredited Member of Addiction Professionals (AP APM), as well as holding the National Counsellor Accreditation Certificate (NCAC). Addiction Care treats all addictions, including alcohol, recreational drugs, gambling, sex, pornography, food, co-dependency, internet and social media, gaming, spending, relationships, and work addiction.