Bacta has urged members to strengthen engagement with their local Parliamentary Candidates in order to ensure they “finish the job of modernising the country’s gambling regulations”.
Jeremy Godden, Managing Director of the Godden Gaming Organisation, emphasised his belief that the political campaign needs to shift up a gear with the election less than three weeks away.
He stated: “We need to ensure that all Prospective Parliamentary Candidates understand why the changes proposed in the white paper are crucial to the long term sustainability of the UK’s family entertainment centres and adult gaming centres.
“We want amusement arcades to be top of the political agenda given their importance within the tourism offering at our seaside resorts.”
Providing broader context to the issues he will be presenting to his prospective Labour Party MP, Polly Billington he said: “My core message is that we are in a ‘cost of doing business crisis’ and we need to finish the job of the white paper.
“I cannot stress how important the next three weeks are: we must take the opportunity to lobby candidates before they are elected to Parliament in order to ensure our sector is firmly on the political agenda.”
The calls come after last week’s launching of the manifestos from the main parties left the industry with little clarity in terms of the plans for the igaming sector.
Predicted to replace the Conservatives with a landslide victory come July 4, Labour leader Keir Starmer launched the Labour Party Manifesto 2024 on Thursday, June 13, with a focus on wealth generation, green energy and cutting NHS waiting times.
Under the ‘Build an NHS fit for the future’ section, the Manifesto read: “Labour is committed to reducing gambling-related harm. Recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. We will continue to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.”
