for early access to the latest igaming videos!
and get the latest igaming news first!
A group of Ealing politicians has signed onto a cross-party call urging the UK government to remove the Gambling Act 2005’s “aim to permit” principle, arguing the rule leaves councils with too little room to block new gambling premises even when communities object.
The Ealing signatories include Labour MP Dawn Butler (Brent East), councillors Aysha Raza, Ben Wesson and Dee Martin, and London Assembly member Bassam Mahfouz (Ealing & Hillingdon), according to local reporting. They are part of a wider group of 280 cross-party backers who signed a letter coordinated by Butler and addressed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Butler said the campaign is aimed at giving local authorities more power to curb clusters of betting shops, casinos and adult gaming centres.
“Thank you to the 280 cross-party signatories backing my campaign and 10 Minute Rule Bill to end the outdated ‘Aim to Permit’ principle,” she wrote in a post, adding: “Councils and communities must have the power to say no to more gambling establishments. People before profit!”
The “aim to permit” statutory act and the councils that want it gone
The “aim to permit” duty is built into the UK’s post-2005 gambling licensing framework. Critics argue it effectively sets a default tilt toward approving gambling premises, provided applicants meet minimum criteria, limiting councils’ ability to refuse licences based on broader local harm concerns.
In the letter, signatories said the rule “ties the hands of local authorities,” arguing councils are forced to grant licences if minimum requirements are met, “regardless of the clear social harm or strong local opposition.”
Critics and parliamentary committees have also linked the policy to longstanding concerns about “clustering,” particularly on high streets in economically challenged areas. A recent House of Commons Library briefing notes that the 2005 Act abolished the earlier “demand test” for new premises licences and that this change has fed concerns about clustering of betting shops.
Ealing voices: “worrying increase” as high streets change
In comments reported locally, Councillor Aysha Raza connected the campaign to changes on local high streets and the cost-of-living backdrop.
“At a time that useful services like banks and independent businesses are disappearing we are seeing a worrying increase in gambling establishments on our high streets,” Raza said. “Communities already struggling with the cost of living become more susceptible to the destructive effects of gambling.”
The wider letter also argues that the government has an opportunity to move faster than the parliamentary route. Butler wrote to Starmer that she had applied for a 10-minute rule bill in her name, but said the government could “take the initiative” to implement the change.
Industry response: high street role, tax contribution, and shop closures
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has pushed back on the idea that betting shops are driving high-street decline, arguing they remain part of local retail ecosystems and are already shrinking in number.
In a September 2025 statement, the BGC said betting shops are “a valuable part of the high street,” citing that more than 2,400 shops have closed since 2019, leaving 5,870 in operation.
In separate BGC messaging around high-street policy, the trade body said betting shops support 46,000 jobs, contribute nearly £1 billion a year in direct tax and £60 million in business rates, and pointed to research it commissioned from ESA Retail indicating 89% of betting shop customers also visit other local businesses on the same trip.
No definitive act, as yet, as the government continues to remain silent
For now, the campaign is focused on one lever: removing “aim to permit” from the Gambling Act 2005, and replacing it with a framework that gives councils more discretion to prevent clustering and respond to local opposition.
Whether the government opts for a quick legislative route or continues with narrower changes, such as cumulative impact assessments, will determine how much practical control councils gain over gambling venue growth on high streets in 2026.
Source: Earling News
