Covid-19 update

28th October 2020

 

Dear Member

 

COVID-19 UPDATE

England

  • Further areas in and around Warrrington and in and around Nottingham are being placed in Tier 3 lockdown from yesterday and tomorrow respectively.
  • Adult Gaming Centres are included in the additional venues required to close as in other Tier 3 areas.
  • The first tranche of ‘Town Deals’ has been announced by the Government and includes money for Blackpool to upgrade the Illuminations and for Torquay to develop aspects of the town centre.

 

Scotland

  • The SG yesterday confirmed that 5 level approach to restrictions
  • Amusement Arcades (FECs and AGCs) will be allowed to be open up to and including level 2
  • There has been some relaxation in the hospitality restrictions in Level 2 to allow pubs to remain open with alcohol served with a meal until 8.00 p.m.
  • Level 3 is comparable to the current central belt lockdown which now runs to 2nd November. Cafés, bars, and restaurants can open to 6.00 p.m. with no alcohol.
  • The First Minister also said that the SG will establish expert advisory group on reintroducing safe low level music and background noise. 
  • Chairman, Joseph Cullis and I,  have a meeting with Scottish Government on Friday.  This follows a Scottish Tourism Alliance call with senior opposition MSPs where we again highlighted the plight of the supply chain, said much more help was needed to help businesses survive and suggested that a standards based approach is what all governments should be adopting.

 

Wales

Disappointingly the WG has gone out of its way to exclude gambling venues from all but the Small Business Grant of £1000. Click here for the full guidance https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/lockdown-business-fund.

  • Welsh Chairman, Richard Case, and I met with WG officials from the Tourism and Hospitality sector today.  They will communicate our concerns to the relevant department and hopefully broker a meeting, but in passing struggled to understand why businesses told to close would not get support.  Precisely!
  • They were able to confirm that the issue of machines in pubs being on was very much part of the discussion with the hospitality sector and it was good to be able to re-enforce the points contained in our risk mitigation guidance for the use of machines in pubs.
  • In response to questioning they said they did not detect any anti-gambling sentiment in the Welsh Government.

 

 Category D fruit machines

I last week sent a note to all Div 1 members inviting them to attend an EGM of the Division to discuss a recommendation from National Council that bacta amends its Code of Conduct and SR Charter to prohibit persons under the age of 18 from playing on Cat D cash payout fruit machines.  If you are a Division 1 member and want to attend the meeting and haven’t yet told Theresa, can you please email her on theresa@bacta.org.uk and she will send you the link.

 

Safer Gambling Week 19 – 25 November

The Week is fast approaching and the latest Update has been produced as well as an evaluation form.  I will this send under separate cover to Div 3 members but if any other members want a copy just let me know.  There is also going to be a Safer Gambling Forum that may be of interest.

 

Kind regards,

John

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