38 Coinslot May 20 - May 26, 2011 Comment
Spotlight thrown on bookies over primary purpose
comment chris murphy
A
s you’ll have read ear- lier in this issue, there’s been fresh
criticism aimed at the book- ies. This time it’s not about proliferation of betting loca- tions on the high street, but instead relates to the contro- versial issue of primary pur- pose. Industry expert Derek Webb believes that LBOs are now little more than machine operations and, as such, need to be reined in tighter than bark on a tree. Regardless of where you stand in the debate, this is where the waters start to get a little muddy; and here’s why. When you take the Licensing Codes and Conditions of Practice at their most literal, they include very clear rules of engagement where pri- mary purpose is concerned. If you’re a bingo club, you have to ensure that bingo is your main business. The same applies to casinos, AGCs and betting shops.
In the case of the bookies,
however, Webb and others have expressed the view that it’s hard to see how betting can be classed as the primary purpose when the biggest driver of LBO revenue appears to be machine gaming. At this point, we’d imagine that the bookies will be clamouring to jump down our throats, armed with the argument that FOBTs are bet- ting products and in no way connected with gaming. That’s all well and good
until you think back to the good old days pre-Act when there were all kinds of malarkey going on about whether or not FOBTs repre- sented betting or gaming.
There was even the threat of the question being put before a court of law, but for what- ever reason, that never hap- pened. So what we’re now left with is a machine genre that has slipped under the radar and ended up cate- gorised as a B2 product, yet remains in a perpetual state of probation. Here’s an interesting thought. For those who would argue to the death that B2 machines are bona fide betting products, it’s worth referring to the rules that govern the SWP sector. They state quite clearly that if an SWP looks like a gaming machine (imagery of reel bands, turn of a wheel etc) it shall be deemed to be a gaming machine. We think it’s fair to say that
the current breed of B2 ter- minal - and indeed its forebear the FOBT - is hardly ambigu- ous about what it offers to the player; ie gaming style prod- ucts. So, by applying the rules that govern SWP machines to those categorised as B2, one might conclude that if a B2 product looks like a gaming machine then it must be a gaming machine. Or is it a case of one letter of the law for one segment of the gam- bling business; and a com- pletely different alphabet for all others? Either way; it leaves a ques-
tion mark hanging over the LBO business. If bookies are generating most of their income through machines which, it might be argued, are gaming products, is Webb correct when it comes to his assertions about primary purpose?
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MACHINES ARE NOW A BIG PART OF THE BOOKIES’ OFFER
Plenty of positives to report
media watch alex lee
Traditional seaside destinations such as Skegness,
Bournemouth and Scarborough will be flying the Blue Flag this year, according to the Daily Mail. They are among 70 English beaches that have won the award, which is organised by Keep Britain Tidy.
The Blue Flag is a guarantee to visitors that the beach has excel- lent facilities, is litter free and has achieved a high standard of water quality. In addition, 108 beaches have received Quality Coast Awards and 32 beaches have won both Blue Flag and Quality Coast Awards, Keep Britain Tidy said. England can now boast 146
award-winning beaches, although there were 150 in 2010. Most English regions have done as well for Blue Flag beaches this year, although the number awarded in south-east England has fallen from 17 to 10. Flying the flag for England’s seaside resorts is Torbay in Devon which has six Blue Flag
beaches, closely followed by Cornwall and Southend-on-Sea in Essex, which both have five. Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: ‘Tradi- tional beach holidays in this country were always centred on our seaside resorts and we urge holidaymakers to rekindle their passion for our wonderful coast- line and quality resorts. The continuing high standards of our beaches are testament to the hard work carried out by beach managers throughout the year in order to provide clean and safe beaches for everyone to enjoy, whether you live on the coast or are a visitor.’
Meanwhile, the demerger of Burton-upon-Trent pubco Punch Taverns will create more than 70 jobs at the company’s two sup- port centre buildings, according to Inside Media. Vacancies will include positions in finance, mar- keting, logistics and HR. Punch Taverns’ talent and resourcing business partner
Coin-op reso bowling an joins one of t
Catherine Smith said: “This is an extremely exciting time to be join- ing Punch as we go from one to two independent companies over the next couple of months. “The vacancies are within both the leased and managed side of our business, which boasts an array of branded pubs such as Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square, Flaming Grill and Taylor Walker.” Smith added that the company would also be launching a master’s degree in multiple retail leadership. Punch announced earlier this year plans to demerge the Spirit chain of the business. The pubco said it will separate the leased and managed busi- nesses with the demerger of Spirit, which would completed by the summer. Elsewhere, after two years in the planning, the Sure Strike Bowling and Leisure Centre, Queen’s Promenade, Ramsey, opened its doors for business on May 7, according to the Isle of Man Today.
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