Group head of operations at Silcock Leisure, Serena Silcock-Prince, has welcomed the government’s decision to approve Growth Mission Funding for the £20m renovation of Southport Pier as “wonderful news” for the town, during a period of “really...
Hostility from hospitality: industry berates government’s “good ideas about how to destroy business”
Raising taxes, raising business rates and raising the cost of employing staff – it’s not a good look for a Government seeking to drive growth in the economy. And the industry once singled out as the force behind that growth is turning on the v...
The recent House of Commons debate is a useful reminder that one of the cornerstones of the Gambling Act 2005 continues to attract attention and criticism, says David Inzani, partner at licensing law firm Poppleston Allen.
As the great and the good of the industry prepare for what promises to be the social highlight of the year the Bacta Charitable Trust (BCT) has announced a programme of ‘pledges’ which have been created to help brands and businesses build thei...
The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain has commissioned its first primetime TV advertising campaign to promote the 160-plus fairs taking place across the country this Easter, with an accompanying webpage giving visitors all the information neede...
Hospitality insolvencies jumped 9 percent between December 2025 and January 2026, as businesses continue to face economic headwinds including high VAT and alcohol duties, as well as rising staff and supply costs.
Best in class products befitting a best-in-class venue has seen Blueprint Operations (BPO) secure a major presence at the Clacton Pier arcade and Joywheel high street gaming centre. The major business win also reflects positively on BPO’s cons...
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage has tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill proposing the introduction of cumulative impact assessments – renamed as “gambling impact assessments” – which focus on giving local ...
Bacta’s Pulse initiative is doing exactly what was intended, and that’s to build a multi-layered picture of the issues that are keeping members awake at night and which undermine the vitality of the industry. This week’s sentiment survey shows...
Scratch the surface of any organisation and you will find individuals with unusual claims to fame. Such is the case at Game Nation where it transpires that engineer Leonard Benissan has represented Togo, his country of birth, at table tennis b...
It’s all change at the Gambling Commission at the moment with a new operations director joining the regulator from HMRC. Sue Young takes over the senior role as the regulator continues its search for a new chairman and chief executive.
Club 3000 Bingo is to invest more than £3m in refurbishing its flagship Coatbridge club, marking a major milestone in the club’s continued commitment to delivering “an exceptional bingo and entertainment experience.”
Given the options put forward, it would seem that a massive increase in Gambling Commission fees are on their way. But not definitely. The industry has a compelling case to see the rise reduced, at least, and halted at best. Coinslot offers up...
Quentin Stott is to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon next month, raising money for Spencer Dayman Meningitis Research in memory of his son Dylan.
Parkdean Resorts has announced it will hire 4,000 new staff this season for a range of roles across its 65 holiday parks, following “strong bookings for 2026.”
Ahead of the UK holiday park season swinging into full gear, Boomerang Digital’s Brad Royce has been traversing the country ensuring that the sector’s entertainment teams are fully up to speed with the capabilities of its Jigsaw Entertainment ...
Rising operating costs represent the single biggest threat to the industry according to the results of the first Bacta Pulse survey of members.
In what is a highly regulated industry businesses are dependent on government intervention to ensure that they are able to compete on a level playing field. Many of the industry’s SMEs have struggled to recover to pre-COVID trading and are now...
Adventure Island has called on the Met Office to change the way it displays weather forecasts, warning that the use of a rain icon to indicate a short overnight shower can cost visitor attractions “thousands.”
Online searches for UK holiday parks have reached a four-year high following the debut of The Dyers’ Caravan Park, a new Sky series fronted by Danny Dyer.
Blueprint Operations is one of the major brands closely monitoring events in the Republic of Ireland. Managing Director Andy Tipple was encouraged by what he heard at the Dublin show from Anne Marie Caulfield, CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Au...
Last November the government pledged £26m to the Gambling Commission in its fight against illegal gambling, so why are operators being still being asked to pay?
Joining more than 80 attractions urging changes to weather app icons they say deter visitors, Clacton Pier, the Grand Pier in Weston and Blackpool Pleasure Beach have put their weight behind a growing national campaign.
Barcelona became the capital of global gaming when a record 62,988 industry professionals from 162 nations attended the 2026 edition of World Gaming Week. The total, a 5 percent increase on the 2025 attendance of 59,939, represents the biggest...
ATM provider Link has reported that 14 percent of UK high street businesses turned cashless over the course of the last year, with the use of mobile payments rising across all age groups from 16 to 65-plus between 2023 and 2024.