UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has named betting shops among high street businesses his government intends to actively discourage, igniting fierce industry backlash.
The anger centres on licensed betting shops being grouped alongside what Burnham separately described as “dodgy businesses,” a phrase widely understood to refer to criminal fronts.
Betsmart Consulting founder and CEO Kirsty Caldwell told reporters: “I’m absolutely livid about it, and I think everybody in the industry is and should be.”
Jeremy Godden, MD of The Godden Gaming Organisation and Bacta vice president, expressed his own frustration with the prime minister’s framing and choice of language.
Godden said: “I was disappointed in the tone because I don’t think that reflects the actual position on the high street. We’re part of the fabric of the high street.”
He added that many Bacta members have operated continuously on their local high streets for well over 50 years, underlining the deep roots retail gambling has in British communities.
The “dodgy businesses” Burnham referenced are understood to be vape shops, mini-marts, and other small retailers frequently used as fronts for organised crime and money laundering.
Andrew Lyman, the gambling commissioner in Gibraltar, described Burnham’s communications as “clumsy,” though he and Caldwell both noted the prime minister’s social media post used full stops rather than commas between the listed business types.
Caldwell was pointed in her assessment of the deliberate nature of that punctuation choice, stating: “I don’t believe that he is that sloppy, particularly with a very senior marketeer for a wife.”
She continued: “I think he chooses his words quite carefully, particularly the ones that he puts on social media.”
Burnham has not explicitly called licensed betting shops dodgy businesses, but he appears unbothered by the association now forming in the public mind.
One day before Burnham announced plans to revoke “aim to permit” rules in the 2005 Gambling Act, the Gambling Commission coordinated raids with South Yorkshire Police across Sheffield and Doncaster targeting illegal gambling and money laundering.
Caldwell also described many of the prime minister’s recent announcements as “quick soundbites with no substance behind them” that he “knows will receive a popular response.”
She noted that public sentiment against gambling is driven by fewer people than appearances suggest, as those who gamble are generally not inclined to campaign publicly for its continuation.
It has been suggested that Burnham used the term “betting shops” partly as a proxy for adult gaming centres, which he opposed during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
A video released alongside his original policy announcement listed both betting shops and adult gaming centres as occupying high street space “where something useful used to be.”
Caldwell acknowledged the potential for harm in both venue types but stated: “This is a regulated leisure product which is enjoyed by millions and millions of people across the country.”
She added: “A very, very small percentage of those people struggle with controlling their level of gambling, and there are significant frameworks in place to help protect those people.”
Numbers from the Gambling Commission indicate there were 5,542 betting shops in Britain and approximately 1,415 adult gaming centres operating as of last year.
Research from the Centre for Social Justice published in March showed that 245 vape and tobacco shops have appeared since 2016, bringing the total to just under 2,200 nationwide.
Both betting shop and adult gaming centre numbers have been on a steady decline for the past decade, contradicting government suggestions that such venues are spreading “unchecked” across high streets.
Godden pushed back firmly against the narrative of gambling’s growing high street presence, arguing the numbers tell a very different story.
He said: “AGCs have not grown, and betting offers have not grown. Bingo clubs have not grown. There has not been an expansion.”
Godden argued instead that a shrinking overall retail sector had skewed the proportional presence of gambling venues, with online and out-of-town retail reshaping the landscape dramatically.
Caldwell believes the “dodgy businesses” association will leave retail compliance professionals feeling “demoralised,” given the significant regulatory progress the sector has made in recent years.
She asked: “How can you possibly align a regulated industry with an unregulated one, particularly when you have such a strict regulator in post?”
The Gambling Commission published 30 enforcement notices throughout 2025, with major brands including Paddy Power, Betfred, Corbett Bookmakers, and Merkur all facing some form of regulatory action.
Only seven enforcement notices have been published so far in 2026, and none related to activities taking place inside licensed premises on British high streets.
Despite that compliance record, Caldwell acknowledges the industry faces a long road ahead, warning that “sometimes people just want to throw the towel in,” before insisting operators must continue making their case with data and argument.
