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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Good Friday opening for bookies | Good Friday opening for bookies |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thousands of betting shops in England, Scotland and Wales are to open for the first time on a Good Friday. | Thousands of betting shops in England, Scotland and Wales are to open for the first time on a Good Friday. |
| The move follows last year's Gambling Act which allows bookies to trade every day except Christmas Day. | The move follows last year's Gambling Act which allows bookies to trade every day except Christmas Day. |
| At least 4,000 bookmakers' shops will open, including almost all branches of Ladbrokes and Coral, despite there being no British horse racing. | At least 4,000 bookmakers' shops will open, including almost all branches of Ladbrokes and Coral, despite there being no British horse racing. |
| The Church of England has called for bookmakers to donate some of the profits to anti-gambling charities. | |
| Demand expected | Demand expected |
| They joined with a number of other Christian groups in asking people not to bet. | |
| In a statement the Church of England said: "We would encourage operators to keep their shops closed on Good Friday. | |
| "But those who insist on opening will, we hope, undertake to donate a decent portion of their profits towards programmes of education, research and treatment aimed at checking the growth in problem gambling." | |
| A spokesman for the Methodist Church said they would prefer people to think about the day's religious significance rather than placing bets. | A spokesman for the Methodist Church said they would prefer people to think about the day's religious significance rather than placing bets. |
| I wouldn't want to moralise about how people spend their leisure time Ciaran O'Brian, Ladbrokes | |
| But Ladbrokes defended its decision to open, saying the new law only brought betting shops in to line with other retailers who can already open on Good Friday. | |
| Spokesman Ciaran O'Brien said: "You can bet online any day of the week, any time of the day. That's another reason why the shops should be able to compete." | |
| He added: "I wouldn't want to moralise about how people spend their leisure time." | |
| But John Heaton, chief executive of The Betting & Gaming Consultancy and ex-head of the Tote, told Radio Five Live the bookies were unsure if it was a good idea. | |
| 'Business as usual' | |
| He said: "I think, for the operators themselves, time will tell. | |
| "There's no horse racing, so how many punters will be in the shops today I can't really tell. | |
| "From the staff's point of view they are used to working lots of bank holidays ... for them this is no different." | |
| HAVE YOUR SAYBookmaker's shops are legal in this country, therefore they should be allowed to open on any day they wantDerek, East YorkshireSend us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYBookmaker's shops are legal in this country, therefore they should be allowed to open on any day they wantDerek, East YorkshireSend us your comments |
| A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said there had been a wide-ranging consultation before the gambling laws were changed. | A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said there had been a wide-ranging consultation before the gambling laws were changed. |
| The spokesman said: "During the lead-up and passage of the Gambling Bill through Parliament, consultations took place with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry associations, faith groups, trade unions and charities." | The spokesman said: "During the lead-up and passage of the Gambling Bill through Parliament, consultations took place with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry associations, faith groups, trade unions and charities." |
| Before the act came into force in September casinos and bingo halls were allowed to open on all public holidays except Christmas Day, but arcades and betting shops were not. | Before the act came into force in September casinos and bingo halls were allowed to open on all public holidays except Christmas Day, but arcades and betting shops were not. |
| Gambling in betting shops had been banned since the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960. | |
| Ladbrokes said it was expecting a heavy demand from customers and would open 1,900 of its 2,200 shops. | |
| William Hill is opening one in 10 of its shops and said those staff working had volunteered to come in. | William Hill is opening one in 10 of its shops and said those staff working had volunteered to come in. |