And absolutely no change to 80/20 this year. Twycross is a straight talker – but she is genuine in her desire to work with the industry and she doesn’t shy away from saying no. In fairness, there was a lot of no in her Convention speech. But it certainly wasn’t a ‘never, never, never’ message. “I want to support both amusement arcades and bingo. These are venues where people come to socialise and have fun,” she acknowledged. But it seems the industry has to do the work to get that support – and then the woman from the DCMS will say yes.
Bacta members have kindly hosted me on a number of visits, from an AGC in Hastings this summer to Admiral in Peterborough last week. So I’m really pleased to get the chance to return the favour by being part of your agenda today.
I’d like to take a moment to thank Joseph for the constructive engagement he and his team have had with me and my officials in his first few months as Bacta President, and of course to John for his previous service and continued presence and advice as well. We really value those open, frank and respectful conversations so that we can support the sector as effectively as possible.
I’m not only the Minister for Gambling, but also for Heritage, and I recognise the significant contribution that Bacta members make to their communities across the country, as well as the heritage of the many family-run businesses Bacta represents – such as seaside arcades and amusements that have been enjoyed by generation after generation of families.
I know that Bacta’s members create tens of thousands of jobs and contribute huge amounts of family income, as well as helping to fund public services through millions raised in taxation – from gaming duties, business rates, National Insurance and VAT.
I also acknowledge your direct contribution to preventing gambling harm through the new statutory levy. I hope that yesterday’s Budget demonstrated that the wider government also understands this value that you bring to the country, from high streets to the seaside.
As a government, we’ve made fair choices to live within our public expenditure priorities, increasing remote gambling duty – already over a billion pounds a year – to support the public finances and as part of our ambition to create a modern, fair and sustainable tax system. But we have sought to limit the impact on the high street and protect activities that are lower risk and have high levels of employment.
We recognise the dangers posed by the illegal market for those in both the online and land-based sectors. That’s why we’ve allocated an additional £26 million to the Gambling Commission over the next few years to increase investment, resources and capacity to tackle the illegal market.
The government will also be introducing reduced business rate burdens to support smaller retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, including arcades. I know that around 85 percent of your members fall into this category, and so I hope they will benefit from these changes. I do appreciate, however, that the decisions taken in the Budget won’t solve all of the challenges the sector faces.
I understand that many of you will be concerned about the impact of increases to the National Minimum Wage. It’s not always easy for business owners to absorb such costs, even though your employees might well deserve the increase. I know how much care Bacta members put into helping their staff build careers and supporting their development.
I’ve really enjoyed meeting staff at AGCs and FECs and talking to them about their work – not least how they’ve benefitted from being supported to progress through companies. So please pass on my thanks to your staff for all they do on a daily basis. Whether that’s making sure seasonal workers have jobs to come back to, or providing a wide range of training and qualifications for employees, it’s always good to hear about their lives and their careers.
I saw first-hand how hard employees at Admiral’s AGC in Peterborough work. They talked to me about the training they receive and the ways in which they and their colleagues actively engage with customers in order to protect those at risk of gambling harm. They were also very honest with me about the challenges they face in doing so, and I’m keen to continue working with Bacta to address some of those challenges, particularly around player safety.
With that in mind, I want to turn to how I hope we can work together going forward. I know that for those of you involved in adult gaming centres and bingo venues, the 80/20 rule is high on your list of priorities. I believe that player protections need to be at the heart of the gambling industry if it is to be sustainable.
So while I recognise the pressures the industry is dealing with, I want to keep working together to maintain momentum on those protections. I’d like to thank Bacta for the way you’ve taken concerns around player protection seriously and taken a responsible course in this direction. As was mentioned in Jeremy’s opening remarks, Joseph has written outlining Bacta’s commitment to strengthening self-exclusion, and we discussed the progress of this work when we met last week.
I’m especially pleased to hear about the work you’re doing to improve interoperability between self-exclusion schemes, which seems essential if self-exclusion is to work as seamlessly as possible, as well as your trials of facial recognition. I’m looking forward to working together with the sector on the next stages of this work.
Until then, however, my position on the 80/20 rule hasn’t changed, and there will be no announcement of changes this year. I should say, though, that I’m really grateful for your patience while we consider the best way to move forward. I do want us to reach a place where we can start to consider reforms, while knowing the right protections are in place for the most vulnerable.
I know that the Gambling Commission also appreciates the difference that constructive relationships with the industry can make on such issues, and how Bacta has been working with them to address concerns and challenges. Andrew Rhodes will be speaking here later today – you’ll be able to hear directly from him how he recognises the work you’ve put in and his priorities for continuing to work together.
To achieve a safe and thriving gambling sector that drives growth means government must work effectively with industry, local authorities and the Gambling Commission. I want to ensure that local authorities have the right powers for oversight of gambling businesses in their area. This is why the government is seeking to introduce cumulative impact assessments for gambling premises, assuming parliamentary time allows.
I know there’s been concern about what this might mean in practice, and I’d like to take the opportunity to make clear that cumulative impact assessments would be evidence-based, and they will not be applied retrospectively to licences that have already been granted. The government has no plans to review the statutory objectives governing gambling licensing.
I recognise that licensing objectives may not be the top of your list today, but I hope this gives some clarity in relation to our current thinking. DCMS launched the consultation last month for Category D gaming machines and licensing for bingo premises.
I want to support both amusement arcades and bingo. These are venues where people come to socialise and have fun. Yet statistics from the Gambling Commission this week show these premises are, sadly, continuing to close.
We’ve set out a range of proposals with the intention of supporting these sectors to grow and innovate sustainably. The Category D proposals aim to increase stakes and prizes to reflect the economic reality on the ground, while maintaining Category D machines as low-risk products which children and families have enjoyed safely for generations.
Importantly, this includes bringing into law the age restriction on cash-out slot-style machines, which Bacta members implemented years ago, bringing the whole sector into line with the standard already set.
The bingo proposals reflect the changes we’ve seen in the sector over recent years – from new concepts combining venues, nightlife, and electronic gameplay, to allowing customers to play on tablets and small devices, emerging alongside traditional bingo clubs. I want to support that innovation while clarifying rules: any venue holding a bingo licence must still have bingo at the heart of its offering.
The aim is to give confidence to consumers and clarify regulation, making sure the rules that apply to all gambling premises are appropriate to their offering.
We want to make sure we get this right – supporting the sectors while providing protection. Your feedback on this consultation will be key to getting that balance right. To give you appropriate time to consider the proposals and factor in any Budget announcements, we’ve decided to extend the closing date of the consultation until the end of January.
I know that Bacta has already offered some really constructive engagement on the consultation, and I look forward to receiving your formal response.
I just want to say thank you for your time, and for all the work you do with my officials, with the Commission, and with operators towards a safe and thriving arcade sector. I know sometimes this work isn’t easy and that there will be real challenges this year, but I know that Bacta will continue to rise to these challenges, and I genuinely look forward to working together to achieve our shared goals.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the day and thank you again for the opportunity to be with you all today.
80/20 ruled out
Baroness Twycross said……. “My position on the 80/20 rule hasn’t changed, and there will be no announcement of changes this year. I should say, though, that I’m really grateful for your patience while we consider the best way to move forward. I do want us to reach a place where we can start to consider reforms, while knowing the right protections are in place for the most vulnerable……
Originally published on Coinslot on December 1, 2025. Republished with permission.