BGC Willing to Implement Tighter Covid Measures

This week the Betting and Gaming Council in the UK said that member casinos are willing to work in tighter Covid-19 protocols if they're allowed to remain open in areas where Tier-3 restrictions are currently in place.

Right now all betting locations in England are closed through at least December 2nd, but the BGC is looking to when the lockdown lifts and areas slip back into Tier-3 of the country's Covid plan. Under the current terms of the program, all gambling shops and casinos will have to remain shuttered until the area they're in reaches Tier-2.

Needless to say, this doesn't sit well with the trade association, as they feel the decision will negatively impact the bottom line of the casinos. The group said that casinos if allowed to open at Tier-3, would implement new Covid protocols to show that their locales are safe. The BGC's plan would indicate stopping live gaming at tables, limiting capacity to 25%, and halt alcohol sales.

Betting shops would limit the time allowed to stay on the premises and cap those allowed inside at any given time.

In his proposal, BGC CEO Michael Dugher said, "The impacts of the pandemic are already being felt by the casino sector. There have been substantial reductions in employment with one operator having reduced its workforce by over 40% to date.

"Casino businesses had strong balance sheets at the start of the year, the same is no longer the case with costs during closure amounting to up to £15m per month for some operators.

"I would be extremely grateful if you could give serious consideration to these measures which are proactively offered up by our members to provide further reassurance that they are safe to re-open in Tier-3 areas."

We'll follow this story and update readers if any changes to the Covid plan occur.