Sascha Blodau, General Manager of MERKUR UK, which operates 227 venues in 111 towns and cities, is urging policy makers at national, regional and local levels to recognise the contributions made by the sector and to include gambling entertainment businesses in the important discussions surrounding the regeneration of Britain’s beleaguered high streets.
Confirming the political significance of the challenge he noted: “According to a recent YouGov poll, improving the high street and rejuvenating shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, only behind healthcare provision and crime reduction – so government has a mandate to act.”
The YouGov findings are supported by research conducted by the University of Southampton which warned that the Labour Party risks election wipe-out and would be “washed away in a tide of discontent” unless it tackles the decline.
Professor Will Jennings, who led the research, told The Guardian newspaper: “Our report reveals a high level of place-based resentment in British politics. People tend to think that politicians in Westminster don’t care about their region and that not enough is being done to improve the economic situation.”
The decline of the high street which saw 13,000 shops close in 2024 the equivalent of 37 a day, is fundamentally damaging not just to those people losing their jobs and businesses but also for those business that remain: “Empty or boarded-up shops are simply killing the high street.” confirmed Blodau. “Significantly, of the venues that we have opened since 2020, 97 percent were previously shuttered and economically inactive. Retailers such as MERKUR UK – that are not part of the business exodus, that continue to pay business rates (£4.2m in 2025) and are providing job opportunities for local people – want to be part of a broader community of retailers offering a diversity of goods and services all supported by affordable and reliable public transport.”
He added: “That requires a joined-up strategic approach which includes representation from every sector, including of course the high street gaming entertainment industry which has continued a long tradition of delivering socially responsible, safe and value for money entertainment throughout the country from Glasgow to Gillingham Newcastle to Newquay and Neath to Norwich.”
The next big conversation will arise as a result of the government’s Pride in Place programme. Announced by Keir Starmer in September 2025 the £5bn, 10-year regeneration initiative is being promoted as the most significant transfer of powers from Westminster to support locally-led plans to revitalise town centres and bring vacant units back into use.
As with most if not all government announcements, Sascha Blodau believes that the devil is in the detail. He explained: “A fund earmarked to revitalise high streets and address decades of neglect is of course to be welcomed. However, the announcement made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government illustrates the prejudice that underpins any debate in relation to our sector and gambling entertainment in general.
He added: “Despite the fact that there are fewer gambling premises on the high street than pre-Covid and £300m less is being spent/year on machines in Adult Gaming Centres the government press release paints the gambling industry as a ‘folk devil’ stating and I quote ‘Communities will be handed unprecedented new powers to seize boarded shops, save derelict pubs and block gambling and vape shops on their high street.”
In a rallying call for meaningful engagement Blodau concluded “Regeneration schemes must be based on all of the facts and be devoid of prejudice, they need to involve every single business sector that has a place on the high street and be supported by a progressive taxation regime that supports investment and endeavour.
“If they don’t meet these key criteria and reflect customer needs, they will be a sticking-plaster solution and ultimately fail in their objective of reversing the decline of town centres and addressing what that means for communities and local people.
The Changing Face of Britain’s High Streets 2019 – 2025
• The number of high street restaurants has increased from just over 17,000 to 25,000.
• Tattoo and piercing salons are up 20 percent
• Hairdressers have increased by 17 percent
• The popularity of e-cigarettes among young adults is accredited with an estimated 38 percent rise in specialist vaping shops
• The number of bookshops has grown by almost a fifth.
• 1,000 department stores remain on high streets, down from more than 1,700 six years ago.
• Opticians have reduced their presence by 12 percent
• Betting shops have lost more than a fifth of their outlets since before the pandemic.
• The number of clothing shops has fallen by 13 percent
• The number of florists has decreased 24 percent
• Stationers are down by 23 percent
• Nightclubs have declined by 20 percent
• High street gyms are up by 46 percent
Originally published on Coinslot on February 23, 2026. Republished with permission.