Rising concerns over the impact that a new gambling centre in Bradford would have on the health of the most vulnerable residents of the district have seen the plan rejected.
Recently, Merkur Slots has unveiled plans to open an adult gaming centre in the former Leeds Building Society unit on Bank Street. However, there are currently five other gaming operations within 50 metres of the planned location of the operation, so the Bradford Council turned down the gambling company’s application, citing concerns that the city centre has become an area with many people vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
The decision of Bradford City Council was a rare example of a planning application being rejected on concerns associated with public health.
One of the main concerns associated with Merkur Slots’ project was shared by a partnership of the Council’s Public Health department, the Bradford Gambling Harms Reduction Partnership multiagency, as well as the Reducing Inequalities Alliance – Bradford and Craven Health and Care Partnership.
The opponents of the gambling operator’s proposal argued that the addition of one more gambling business could increase the potential gambling-related harm and lead to a high risk of harm to be faced by the most vulnerable individuals, who live, socialise, study, and work in the city centre. They further noted that the city centre area was considered a highly-deprived area, not to mention it was in close proximity to schools, colleges, and a university.
The Number of Problem Gamblers Is Higher in More Deprived Areas, Bradford City Council Warns
At the time they rejected the application, planning officers from Bradford City Council noted that gambling was usually safe for most people but, according to evidence provided by the Public Health Team of the Council, gambling-related harm is higher in highly-deprived areas. Evidence also showed that there were links between gambling and mental health issues, with gambling addicts being at least twice as likely to commit suicide than the general population.
Latest reports have shown that people living in deprived areas were more likely to gamble.
When rejecting the Merkur Slots application for a new adult gaming centre, the Council noted that Bradford City Ward had been the most populous one in the District, but at the same time, it was one of the top 10% most deprived areas in England. For the time being, there are more than 13,000 problem gamblers in the district area, and the ones in the city centre area are believed to be at a higher risk of facing gambling-related harm.
According to the City Council, the proposed location would make even more people vulnerable to gambling-related harm, especially considering the fact that the planned location is situated within close proximity to services that are aimed at helping problem gamblers deal with the harm they face as a result of their compulsive gambling habits. Bradford City officers shared that, according to recent data, there has been a 42% increase in the number of gambling venues in Bradford District, which could eventually lead to an increase in the number of both regular and problem gamblers.
City Council members have been concerned that the overconcentration of gambling venues in the area would make it harder for the region to adapt and would have a negative effect on the most vulnerable individuals.
- Author
Olivia Cole
