Gaming body adds voice to Gambling Bill dissent

Gaming trade body the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) is planning to throw its weight behind recent press attacks on the Government’s controversial Gambling Bill with its first advertising campaign.

The print campaign is expected to break on Monday, in time for the first reading of the bill in Parliament. Although the association is not opposed to the bill, it considers the introduction of &£1m jackpot machines in large, resort-style casinos dangerous. The campaign aims to highlight public fears over gambling addiction should the bill go through in its present form.

The results of an opinion poll conducted for BACTA by trend analyst BrandDriver, which surveyed 1,000 adults, indicate that over half the UK population is opposed to the introduction of large casinos in the UK.

BrandDriver managing director Tim Julian says the research company plans to “make a big splash” with the poll findings, which come on the back of an ICM survey conducted on behalf of The Guardian that also shows widespread opposition to the Gambling Bill.

The BACTA survey shows 74 per cent of people believe that making gambling more widely available through regional casinos will encourage people to gamble more than they can afford. The poll claims the number of people visiting casinos will almost double – from eight per cent to 15 per cent of the population.