An Armagh councillor emotionally urged planners to fully strike down an application which has been filed as part of an attempt for a new casino-style adult gaming centre to be established in the city.
As the Armagh I reported, Garath Keating, a former Sinn Fein Lord Mayor, has opposed to the proposal and expressed his concern with the project.
A few days ago, planning officials were recommended to approve the proposed adult gaming centre venue, which is planned to be situated at a place which has previously operated as the Cheque Centre and Baby Boo Boo, as well as office accommodation.
The proposal for the adult gaming centre establishment was issued by the Lurgan-based BDM Amusements. However, the project caused the outrage of anti-gambling campaigners, who have submitted a letter and a petition of objection, insisting that such a gaming venue would end up with problem gambling rates on the rise. Councillor Keating is fully supportive of both the letter and the petition. He commented that problem gambling is affecting the lives of many families in the local community.
He further scolded gambling operators for their aggressive marketing campaigns and said that many people are getting hooked on gambling on a daily basis. Councillor Keating also reminded that all this is having quite a detrimental impact on local people’s lives with the numbers of gambling addicts constantly increasing.
Permission to Adult Gaming Centre Was Recommended
The plans for the development of the above-mentioned casino-style adult gaming venue were revealed in September 2018. An application for the permission of the project was presented to the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, and recently, reports have emerged that planners would recommend permission to be given to the project.
Despite the fact that the application papers show that the site is set to be turned into an adult gaming space, there is no indication about the nature of the gaming offerings that would be provided.
As mentioned above, the authors of the petition against the gaming centre proposal claim that such an establishment would have a negative impact on the entire area, as it would result in an increase of problem gambling rates at a time when the number of gambling addicts rises by the hour due to aggressive promotion of gambling. Apart from that, the petition states that a gambling venue would not be a good fit for the conservation area, as such outlets usually attract a large number of people and could cause potential disturbance for the already existing local businesses.
Consultation has been carried out, and all statutory agencies have provided their views, with no objections being brought to light.
Now, Councillor Keating is calling for the local authorities to make sure that the most vulnerable community members, who are usually most attracted to such premises, are well protected against possible gambling-related harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
