John Heaton, Chairman of Scotbet, has stated that Scotland’s independent bookmakers are facing a fight for survival, as businesses enter an unprecedented autumn and winter trading period. Bookmakers in Scotland were permitted to reopen their doors in June – however, with current government restrictions, Heaton stated that ‘there is no end in sight to the economic calamity that Covid has …
Read More »
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has expressed its disappointment in the Scottish government’s decision to tell bookmakers to switch off their gaming machines until further notice. It comes just days after Holyrood confirmed it would be lifting the ban on gaming machines, in-store chairs and live racing in betting shops from 22 July. In a letter to BGC chief …
Read More »
Scottish bookmakers have warned First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that hundreds of jobs could be at risk if the government does not implement a business rates relief to help them cope with the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike in England, Holyrood opted to exclude betting shops from its business relief scheme, which was designed to support businesses which had seen …
Read More »
Scottish bookmakers have slammed Holyrood’s decision to reopen betting shops without chairs or live racing, stating that the ruling is ‘crazy’ and a ‘slap in the face’ for bookies which have most likely been struggling during the lockdown period. Scotland’s 900 betting shops – employing around 4,500 people – have been closed since March as part of the national effort …
Read More »
Scotbet one of the few remaining independent bookmakers operating in Scotland has detailed that it is fighting for its survival, having been placed into receivership last Friday. The struggling bookmaker blames the UK government’s £2 FOBTs stake reduction, detailing its enforcement as ‘the straw which broke the camel’s back’. Restructuring its operations, Scotbet management has been forced to close 11 …
Read More »
John Heaton, Chairman of Scotbet, has called upon the Scottish government to ‘strike a balance that respects the right of punters to spend their leisure time and money as they choose, while protecting the small number who get into difficulty’. Writing a column in The Scotsman, he cited the perceived problem of gambling addiction as a major reason for the …
Read More »
Scotbet, the largest chain of independent betting shops in Scotland, has become the first new member of the Senet Group, the gambling self-regulatory body. It joins founder members William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power in committing to abide by a code of conduct designed to meet high standards of social responsibility in gambling. John Heaton, Chairman of Scotbet, said: “We’ve always placed …
Read More »
SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry