Casinos and Betting Shops in England to Reopen on 2nd December

On Monday night, Boris Johnson the United Kingdom Prime Minister announced to confirm that England’s casino sector will be getting back in the game on 2nd December when the country will exit the national lockdown. After a surge in Coronavirus infections, the prime minister re-introduced a second England-wide lockdown on the 5th of November that led to the shutdown of all non-essential shops including casinos and retail betting shops.

Starting next week, England will go back to the tiered system that was being followed before the 5th November national lockdown. This tiered region-focused approach will take the country to a system where different restrictions will be imposed on different areas based on the number of COVID-19 cases, R number (reproduction rate), and the level of pressure that the local NHS is under when coping with the virus infections.

As such, even after the lockdown is lifted next week, casinos and betting shops that are situated in regions where the government sees fit to maintain the shutdown state will remain closed. Essentially, what this means is that any region under a Tier 3 restriction will maintain a lockdown for all non-essential business whereas Tier 2 and Tier 1 regions will be deemed safe for reopening.

Spectators Will be Allowed in Stadiums, Though at a Limited Capacity

In his statement on the night of 23rd November, the UK Prime Minister sent a wave of excitement in the world of sports enthusiasts when he also announced that fans would finally be given the liberty to watch matches of their favorite teams live in the stadiums.

This was one of the most refreshing revelations for the night as fans had been thirsting to watch live events in the stadiums for a couple of months since the first nationwide lockdown was affected back in March. Aside from the woes of the spectators, the venues themselves have also been suffering losses given that they usually collect tons of revenue from gate receipts.  

But then, the sporting venues will only be allowed to host spectators at a limited capacity, depending on the Tier that the region has been placed in. For outdoor stadiums in Tier 1 regions, a maximum of 4,000 spectators will be allowed whereas stadiums in regions that are under Tier 2 can host no more than 2,000 fans in the stadiums until there’s a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases. For indoor venues on the other hand the attendance of live events will be capped at 50% of the venue’s capacity or a maximum of 1,000 spectators, whichever number is lower of the two.

Industry Top-Brass Voice Support for the Government’s Latest Announcement

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) UK’s trade body for the gaming industry was pleased with Boris Johnson’s announcement given that it has long been championing for a more scientific approach towards dealing with the closure of casinos and betting shops during the pandemic. Michael Dugher, the CEO of the BGC and one of the most vocal critics of how the UK government has been handling the closure and reopening situations said that;

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“This is great news for our customers in communities across large parts of England and for the thousands of people employed in high street betting shops. I know how hard in particular the DCMS battled for their sectors and ministers deserve our sincere thanks. On top of the stringent anti-Covid measures betting shops already adhere to, our members have agreed to further restrictions to limit any chance of Covid being transmitted in their premises. We now look forward to England coming out of lockdown next week, with betting shops back contributing to the Exchequer and playing their part in helping power the country’s economic recovery.”

Executives from the racing industry were also glad to receive the unexpected good news and they all expressed messages of approval and admiration for the government's efforts in facilitating the resumption of the racing industry as the fight on the pandemic continues. Analysts estimate that the recent 4-week Coronavirus lockdown has cost the UK racing sector a cool £12.5 million that would have been collected in levy and media rights payments from the closure of nearly 5,700 betting shops across England.

David Armstrong, the Chief Executive of the UK’s Racecourse Association was among the first to laud the government’s move, citing that the recovery process is well on its way. Part of his statement read as follows;

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“Even with limited numbers, racecourses can start to re-open facilities for race-goers, hospitality guests, and owners. Work continues to prepare for larger-scale pilots across the sports sector and racing will continue to play a key role in this vital recovery phase.”

Speaking on behalf of the Horsemen’s Group, Charlie Liverton of the Racehorse Owners Association welcomed the government’s plan in the following statement; 

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“I am grateful to all those across the industry and government who have worked hard to get us to this position and look forward to constructive conversations on owner attendance at racecourses. Owners and other participants have played a vital role in ensuring racing could continue behind closed doors and under tight restrictions.”

Nick Rust, the Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority also came forward to praise the UK government after the announcement by saying that;

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“We know the numbers are limited, to begin with and not all venues will be allowed to admit spectators, but this is progress. I’m confident that all our race-goers will follow the government’s public health guidelines when they return to racing and this will allow us to increase the numbers attending.”