'This is where people can come and ease the load, have a few bets and chill' - government wants change but London's betting shop customers definitely don't
London betting shop operators and employees are expressing concern over potential government tax hikes on fixed-odds betting terminals. Industry figures argue that such measures could lead to widespread shop closures and job losses.
Why it matters
The debate highlights the tension between government efforts to curb gambling-related social harm and the economic viability of the retail betting industry.
And yet, if you wander into either of Done's two shops within a well-struck five iron of Waterloo station in the centre of London, and you would have no idea the big boss had suggested the bricks-and-mortar betting experience was at grave risk.
That is the beauty of these spaces – they never seem to change. If only everything in life could be as constant as the betting shop.
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