It’s one of those industry initiatives that has gained momentum since it was first launched three years ago, with the Gambling Business Group’s High Street Hub expected to hit record numbers at next week’s ARE Expo in Manchester.
The Gambling Business Group’s High Street Hub at the ARE Expo next week is hosting a comprehensive programme of seminars and talks on the key issues affecting the industry. Among the visitors will be the largest ever contingent of local authority and police authority representatives at an amusements, gaming and gambling event in the UK. An estimated 65 officials will be attending the Hub and taking a tour around the exhibition to meet businesses and discuss safer gambling innovations working their way into high street operations. The tour is a key feature of the Institute of Licensing’s gambling conference which is being held in the venue.
GBG General Manager Charlotte Meller has been organising the schedule and programme for the 2026 High Street Hub and this year has seen a significant increase in interest. “The Hub was originally launched to help build that bridge between the land-based industry and authorities and expand the understanding of progress being made by the gaming and gambling industry to drive player protections on the high street,” she told Coinslot.
And the estimated 65 local authority and police officials speaks volumes of the progress the GBG has made in terms of engagement with the licensing bodies. “We have built a very strong relationship with the Institute of Licensing over the past 3-4 years, and we liaise regularly on gambling issues and how they impact local authorities and the land-based sector. That partnership working is one of our key strategic objectives and their input has been vital in our work and we have been able to advise and support their local licensing practitioners in their activities too.”
There is also an extensive and impressive schedule of seminars and talks taking place over the two days in Manchester featuring training, facial recognition developments, player protections, a retail betting sector breakfast, and the keynote discussion on how the industry can learn from the alcohol sector and play its part in winning hearts and minds and reviving the UK high street economy.
But it’s the tour of the ARE show floor that will have a hands-on impact on the local authority and police officials, noted Meller. “We’ll be touring the showfloor with the practitioners to enable them to discuss with machine manufacturers all the player protection innovations in place. It’s one of the most informative exchanges where the officers can use machines to see how facial recognition works, how the systems control age verification and various styles of gameplay too. They will also get to see cash handling systems, bingo technology and the compliance data captured by premises.”
Meller is also participating at the IoL’s gambling conference, speaking about the controversial Gambling Impact Assessments.
“The GIAs are a major concern to the industry and local regulators. Whilst it will be challenging and costly to build the robust evidence base required for a local authority to introduce a GIA, operators are understandably concerned that the Aim to Permit principle will be undermined by these new powers, and it will severely hamper future growth on the high street. It’s going to be a lively debate”.
Originally published on Coinslot on April 28, 2026. Republished with permission.