Casinos Battle to Open Slots and Gaming Centres in Empty High Street Shops

_{A familiar feature on our high streets. (Image: JEP Worthing/Alamy)}

Take a walk down most UK high streets and the picture is the same. Empty shops and banks, for sale or for let signs and desperate attempts to breathe new life back into an area that has been decimated by online shopping and failure to adapt to repurposing properties, coupled with astronomical commercial rental costs. 

From Hastings, East Sussex to Swansea, South Wales, across the UK, vacant retail units are being transformed into gaming venues, which offer a range of gambling and gaming options including slot games as operators battle to repurpose empty spaces. Merkur Slots has applied to convert a Queens Road shop in Hastings into a 24-hour Adult Gaming Centre (AGC).

Filling the High Street, but at What Cost?

Merkur claims its Hastings outlet will “protect and enhance the vitality and viability” of the town centre, noting its minimal noise impact and suitability in busy retail zones.

Swansea has its share of adult gaming centres. (Image: Alan Evans/Casinos.com)

In Swansea, the dual-use plan, a tanning salon alongside a gaming centre, shows the mixed-use strategy increasingly being deployed to fill units once occupied by traditional retailers. For councils, it offers a chance to bring life back into empty frontages. For critics, it raises concerns about the types of businesses dominating high streets.

The National Trend: Adult Gaming Centres on the Rise

According to the Gambling Commission, Adult Gaming Centre revenues rose 11% to £623 million last year, while the number of machines on Britain’s high streets hit a record 74,523. Operators like Merkur have been particularly active, applying for dozens of new venues across the UK.

But critics warn of social harms. Reports have shown:
•    AGCs often cluster in deprived areas, targeting vulnerable communities.
•    Failures in self-exclusion systems, with some operators allowing problem gamblers to continue betting despite safeguards.
•    Fines for weak responsible gambling checks, including penalties against Merkur.

These issues have prompted mayors, MPs, and councils to call for new powers to block or limit AGC expansion. A Booming Sector, Sources of Concern

This surge highlights how AGCs are becoming a dominant force in non-remote gambling, a trend that regulatory bodies and local communities are watching closely.

The Risks Behind the Numbers

While operators present AGCs as engines of economic activity, critics warn they often cluster in deprived areas and exploit vulnerable populations. Investigations have revealed:
    •    Self-exclusion failures, where excluded individuals were still allowed to gamble in multiple AGCs.
    •    Fines against Merkur for allowing a cancer patient to continue gambling, demonstrating lapses in responsible gaming safeguards.

These incidents, along with the rapid expansion of slot parlours, have prompted calls for stronger control measures, giving local councils more power to refuse such permits.

Local Authorities at a Crossroads

For towns like Hastings and Swansea, the decision is a balancing act. AGCs can inject life into retail wastelands, but at the cost of inviting industries linked to social harm.

As vacancies rise, the question becomes: are these venues a lifeline or a short-term fix that threatens the well-being of communities?

The battle over vacant shops is far from over. As applications multiply, the question remains: will Britain’s high streets be revitalised by these new occupants, or hollowed out further by a reliance on gambling and short-term fixes?