Starmer Urged to Allow the Right to Refuse New Gambling Premises

by Roy Brindley, 10 January 2026

Prime Minister Kier Starmer has been urged to remove an ‘aim to permit’ rule that has left councils “powerless” to refuse gambling premises licences.

Merkur Adult Gaming Centres have become a familiar sight in the UK’s towns and cities.

Key Facts:

• Kier Starmer is urged to remove ‘aim to permit’ from the 2005 Gambling Act.
• The Law currently makes the refusal of new gambling premises licences difficult.
• Campaigners say councils are “powerless” to refuse licences even when residents object.
• Adult gaming centres’ revenues rose to a record £710 million in 2025.

Forty-six MPs, six peers, 216 councillors, and campaigners for regulatory gambling reform have signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Kier Starmer, calling for the removal of the “aim to permit” provision that obliges licensing authorities to approve gambling licences for premises wherever the minimum criteria are met.

The “aim to permit” requirement was introduced under the 2005 Gambling Act. It obliges licensing authorities to lean towards approving applications for new gambling premises with little regard for opposition or objections.

There has been an explosion in 24-hour gaming-machine venue openings – known as adult gaming centres (AGCs) – over the past decade. There are now more than 1,400 automated gaming machine arcades across the UK.

Labour MP Dawn Butler, who organised the letter, said the “aim to permit” rule has left councils “powerless” to refuse licences even when residents object. “Our high streets are being hollowed out by a surge of betting shops and 24/7 slot‑machine venues, while local people are left powerless,” she states.

Appeals to Seal the AGC Deal

A case in Greenwich, London, where a proposed new AGC received more than 60 objections from residents, and police log evidence from similar venues in which customers had vandalised machines and threatened staff after losing money, was highlighted by The Observer this week.

The application was referred to the planning inspectorate and was successful on appeal. This example supported evidence compiled by the publication showing that damming the flow of AGCs is difficult. An analysis by The Observer of 62 cases that went to the planning inspectorate between January 2021 and July 2024 showed 43 were approved on appeal.

Deprived Are Clusters and Handsome Profits

Recent BBC research suggests half of the UK’s AGCs are situated in the country’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Gambling Commission data show that 664 AGCs are clustered in the top 20 per cent of deprived areas.

Adult gaming centres’ revenues rose to a record £710 million in the year to June 2025. Two companies, Merkur and Admiral, operating over 500 outlets between them, are the biggest beneficiaries.

Allastar Gair, spokesman for the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA), recently suggested the locations of AGCs were coincidental, saying: “Operators do not target deprived areas; they take on long-term empty units and invest in high streets that need regeneration.”

People Before Profit via a Safe Approach

Urging Starmer to meet a delegation to discuss abolishing the “aim to permit rule”, the letter sent to the PM states: “This call for change is not about banning the occasional bet. It is about protecting our high streets, supporting vulnerable residents and ensuring that councils have the tools to act in the interests of their communities.”

The campaigners pointed to figures that indicate more than a million Britons suffer from a gambling problem and that up to 20 per cent of the population are directly or indirectly harmed by it.

“We believe the government now has a historic opportunity to put people before profit and to deliver a fairer, safer approach to gambling,” those contacting Starmer said.