ARCADES have warned of the death of Great British seaside holidays if major changes aren’t made to archaic slot machine rules.
Tomorrow Rishi Sunak is set to announce major plans to shake-up the gambling industry.
Sources have warned that seaside holidays are under huge threat unless the government makes major changes to gambling rules
Under-25s will be banned from betting more than £2 per spin online.
But older punters could be allowed to stake up to £15 as part of the imminent change.
Ministers are also believed to be planning for slot machines to finally accept credit card payments – currently only cash can be used to play.
If this doesn’t happen, seaside arcade owners fear it won’t be long before they’re forced to shut shop.
An arcades industry source told Trending In The News: “Without this regulatory reform, the arcades industry would be left in the past and the local economies which rely on this industry would suffer.
“It could also trigger the death-knell for the UK seaside, in particular, as the seaside economy is closely linked to the arcades industry.”
They added: “Holiday-goers could be left building sandcastles in ghost towns in the future.”
Cabinet documents leaked to the Sun earlier this month confirmed plans to force betting firms to pay a new legal tax to fund help for problem gamblers.
They must do credit checks on those at risk of spiralling into debt and face fresh duties to look for “signs their losses are unaffordable”.
Free bet bonus offers will be subject to “new controls” where they are being “targeted in harmful ways”.
Premier League clubs have also agreed to remove all gambling logos from the front of players’ shirts.
