The British Amusement Catering Trade Association (Bacta) has formed a rapid response unit to fight back against the propaganda campaign targeting Britain’s high street Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs).
The trade association notes that there is an orchestrated campaign “to delay and in some cases derail” the introduction of land-based gaming reforms outlined in the previous government’s gambling white paper, published in April 2023.
Bacta says that this propaganda campaign is targeting AGCs, often called arcades, and is designed to “tarnish the reputation of the industry in the eyes of policy makers and politicians operating at both national and local levels.”
The newly formed rapid response unit aims to combat this “coordinated programme of disinformation”, and will be chaired by Bacta vice president Joseph Cullis, with support from a team of Bacta National Council members. This includes Elizabeth Speed from Novomatic UK, Tony Boulton from Merkur Group UK, Jeremy Godden from Godden Gaming, Peter Davies from Inspired Entertainment, and former Bacta president Nick Harding.
They will also receive support from current Bacta president John Bollom, executive director of government relations George McGregor, and public affairs advisor Dane Bainbridge.
“Make no mistake, this is much more than simply a couple of inflammatory and salacious newspaper reports,” said Cullis. “We are facing a highly motivated and well-funded campaign where the ultimate end game is to drive responsible gambling entertainment businesses, employing local people and sustaining supply chains of local business off the high street.
“The media coverage, much of which is based on half-truths and misinformation, is feeding the briefing of politicians and policy makers, which we believe may explain the otherwise unfathomable delay in the implementation of the white paper reforms.
“We have allocated additional resources to increase and enhance our lobbying activities, and we are commissioning additional independent economic impact research. I can assure Bacta members that we will be bringing the full influence of the trade association to take-on the anti-gambling coalition and debunk its spurious accusations and exploitation of statistics,” added Cullis.
AGCs are currently allowed to offer an unlimited number of category C and D gaming machines in their premises, machines that are unpopular with players, while the popular category B machines are limited to 20 per cent of the total number of machines in each venue.
Founded in 1974, Bacta represents the amusements and low-stake, low prize gambling entertainment industry in Great Britain.