Britain's Love of a Flutter Continues to Grow
  • A recent study by the National Centre of Social Research found that slot machines and gaming arcades are springing up on high streets all over Britain as other traditional shops shut down. According to the study, which was commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Fund charity, there are around 383 areas in the UK statistically defined as 'high-density machine zones, with at least one gaming machine per hectare.
  • The Gambling Act of 2005 made it easier for larger casinos to operate in the UK, and in December Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford City, the biggest casino in Britain, opened in East London. At around 65,000 sq ft, the casino is in the middle of Europe's biggest in-town shopping centre allowing shoppers to indulge during a break from buying clothes or furniture.
  • Sales of national lottery instant play games, such as scratchcards, make up a quarter of Camelot's revenue with the lottery operator's last half-yearly figures - published in September - showing a 19.9 per cent increase in total sales to £3.26bn. Lottery cards and scratchcards remain the most popular form of gambling in Britain, with terminals cannily placed next to the till in shops alongside chocolate, sweets and other low-price goodies to tempt you to part with an extra pound or two.
  • Online betting is also experiencing a boom, with Brits willing to bet on just about anything but particularly sport. Despite having no high street stores, Stoke-based firm bet365 saw the number of bets placed with it over the internet rise 58 per cent last year, making it bigger that William Hill's and Ladbrokes' online businesses - put together.
Source: http://www.basingstokeobserver.co.uk...s-to-grow-2228