The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) fear the entertainment industry will be severely damaged if the government do not extend the current furlough scheme.The PM Boris Johnson made a surprise U-turn after casinos were due to reopen on the 1st August along with bowling alleys and cinemas. But, the reopening of casinos was pushed back to the 15th August at the earliest, citing they were unsafe, even though all safety measures issued by the government were already in place.
Iconic Venues At Risk
The BGC have warned if the furlough scheme is not extended and the reopening of casinos is pushed back further, many venues including some of the most high end casinos including Les Ambassadeurs, which appeared in the James Bond movie Dr No, and The Hippodrome who hosted the great Shirley Bassey, Harry Houdini and Frank Sinatra will suffer irreparable damage.The casino industry are facing an additional £14m bill after the governments U-turn and called for the government to extend its job retention scheme to help with rising costs.Chief Executive for the BGC Michael Dugher has expressed his concern,“ World famous and iconic venues like Les Ambassadeurs and The Hippodrome are not just part of our proud past, they want to be part of our economical revival in the future.“ They are not looking for a hand out – they are looking to help out. By reopening safely so they can play their part in contributing to getting the economy moving again and contributing ital. tax revenues for the Exchequer.“ Some of Britain’s most iconic casinos, who attract high spending visitors from around the world, are sitting idle whilst pubs and restaurants round the corner are open and doing a roaring trade.”
Food and Drink Donated To Charity
Casinos in the UK are said to have spent an additional £6m to make venues safe for staff and customers to return, they also donated a further £200,000 worth of food and drink to local charities which had been previously ordered for the reopening on the 1st August.If the government fails to make a firm decision as to when theses venues can reopen, the BGC fears more than 6,000 employees may lose their jobs, more than half supported by the sector.Casinos up and down the country have followed strict government guidelines regarding Covid safety to ensure the protection of their staff and customers at a huge cost.