Jeremy Godden, Managing Director of the Godden Gaming Organisation is urging his fellow Bacta members to engage with their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates and encourage them to “finish the job of modernising the country’s gambling regulations.”

Speaking to Coinslot ahead of a meeting that’s been organised with Polly Billington, the Labour Party candidate who is standing in East Thanet, Jeremy Godden outlined why the political campaign needs to go up a gear with the election less than three weeks away. 

He stated: “Given the state of limbo with regards to the white paper, we need to ensure that all Prospective Parliamentary Candidates understand why the changes proposed by DCMS are crucial to the long term sustainability of FECs and AGCs. 

“They will be inundated by businesses introducing themselves and we want amusement arcades to be top of that list given their importance within the tourism offering at our seaside resorts.”

A member of Bacta’s National Council, Jeremy Godden provided broader context to the issues he will be presenting to Ms Billington. “My core message is that we are in a ‘cost of doing business crisis’ and without any sign of a triennial review we need to finish the job of the white paper” he stated.  

“Further to that we need to continue the rejuvenation of our seaside towns through improved deployment of levelling-up funds to deliver tangible brick and mortar projects.”

The process of organising a meeting could not have been easier. He noted: “It was really straightforward. I emailed Polly Billington highlighting the importance of Leisure and Tourism in East Thanet, she called me straight back and we arranged a suitable time to meet face-to-face.”

He added: “Bacta’s political engagement is very strong and the contacts we have with the Labour Party thanks in no small part to George McGregor have never been better.

“I would urge members to act during the window that we have prior to the General Election and ensure that our sector is firmly on the political agenda.

“It’s essential that we work with George and the team at Bacta in order to ensure that we are synchronising our messaging and feeding intelligence back into the trade association. I cannot stress how important the next three weeks are: we must take the opportunity to lobby candidates before they are elected to Parliament.”

Bacta members who secure a meeting are requested to contact george.mcgregor@bacta.org.uk in order to receive the latest briefing materials.