England casinos, bingo halls and betting shops to close until Dec. 2

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday a month-long national lockdown for England, which will start at one second past midnight on Thursday, November 5, and will last until Wednesday, December 2.

Non-essential shops will have to shut down, including betting shops. The UK Department for Health & Social Care stated last week that the betting shop customers are more likely to remain in an enclosed space for a prolonged amount of time, increasing their chances to contract the virus. Entertainment venues will close their doors as well, including casinos, bingo halls, arcades, theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries, among others. 

The UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has called on the Government to take a “science-led approach” and allow casinos and betting shops to safely re-open when the latest England-wide Covid lockdown ends. 

The standards body, which represents the regulated betting and gaming industry, said in a news release there was no evidence that the venues have contributed to the spread of the virus. It called for an end to the “arbitrary and unnecessary decisions” which led to bookies being lumped in with hospitality venues – meaning those in Tier 3 areas in England had to shut – despite the Government officially classifying them as “non-essential retail”.

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said he welcomed the extension to the furlough scheme which has been announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. But he said it was vital that when the latest lockdown is lifted, casinos and betting shops are allowed to re-open from day one so they can get back to contributing to the economy rather than relying on Government subsidies.

Dugher added: “At a time when there is widespread despair among sporting bodies, the Government also needs to recognise that a healthy betting industry is vital to the funding of sport, and that betting shops in particular are critical to the financing of horseracing.”

In a press conference Saturday, Boris Johnson said “no responsible Prime Minister can ignore” the rising rates of Covid-19 infections as he announced the new lockdown for England. He said “we need to be humble in the face of nature”, adding that the virus was spreading even faster than the worst case scenario envisaged by scientists.

England's casinos had reopened in mid-August. Betting shops closed on March 20 and reopened on June 15 under a range of strict social distancing and protective measures, including limitations on customers. A minority of English betting shops had already closed in areas under Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions, while other high street businesses remained open under Covid-safe guidelines. 

Following Boris Johnson's announcement for England, it is expected that the 772 shops in Scotland and 283 in Northern Ireland will remain open unless further action is taken by the devolved governments.