'It's a relief to be back in the game' - betting shops in England reopen doors

December 2 marks not only the day limited numbers of spectators are allowed back on a racecourse but is also the date when most of England's 5,600 plus betting shops reopen their doors.

In a curious juxtaposition, the United Kingdom will be moving from having only 630 betting shops open to a situation where only 630 – those in Northern Ireland and in Tier 4 regions in Scotland – are closed to customers.

The landscape has changed in several key respects compared to when prime minister Boris Johnson announced a second England-wide lockdown beginning on November 5.

The number of people now subject to the severest coronavirus restrictions has risen sharply compared with pre-lockdown, with more than 23 million – or 41 per cent of the population in England – entering Tier 3 measures.

But betting shops have been allowed to reopen in all locations in England, with extra restrictions on the amount of time punters can stay in shops and a removal of televised sports coverage replacing the shuttering of premises in Tier 3 which were imposed before the second lockdown.

Betting shops will continue to impose stringent safety measuresCredit: Liam McBurney

While the industry has had to further adapt its protocols for Tier 3 premises in order to satisfy the government betting shops pose no greater threat than other non-essential retail, the green light is certainly welcome in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Yorkshire, all of which faced shop closures under the old system in October.

"It's a relief to be back in the game," said Chris Sykes of Leicester-based Mark Jarvis, an independent chain of 46 shops across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, all of which are located in Tier 3.

"We'll have lost some customers who have gone online or opened telephone accounts. It will be pretty much like after the major national lockdown, they will come back slowly. They won't all come back in straight away and I imagine it will take a couple of weeks for some, if not all of them, to come back in.

"Of course, this time we won't be showing horseracing or greyhounds. People won't be able to pop in to have a bet and then watch the race itself, which is a bit disconcerting."

Punters will be back in the shops on WednesdayCredit: Patrick McCann

One of the most stringent measures in place for Tier 3 is the rule that punters must not remain on the premises for more than 15 minutes, and cannot visit a shop more than twice a day.

Premises in these regions cannot open past 8pm but two FOBT machines per shop are allowed, as are automated terminals for striking sports bets.

"We've had track and trace in since the last lockdown and have been encouraging customers to scan the QR code or to leave details if they haven’t got a smartphone," said Sykes.

"Financially, dropping down to Tier 2 would certainly help but the priority has to be the customers' health and that of the staff. The health and safety of anyone who comes into a betting office has to come first."

For those shops in Tiers 1 and 2 the picture is much more a case of a return to the practices which allowed shops to reopen back in July. Social distancing and hygiene measures will be to the fore, but there are no restrictions on the length of time spent on premises or what can be shown on screen.

Picture varies across the UK and Ireland

While new restrictions on pubs and restaurants are due to come into effect in Wales this Friday, betting shops remain open in the principality, which emerged from its own two-week "circuit breaker" lockdown on November 9.

Northern Ireland's betting shops remain closed until at least December 10 under regulations covering non-essential retail. Eleven of Scotland's 32 local authority areas are in the highest level of alert (Tier 4 of the Scottish government's five-tier alert system), meaning bookmakers are closed across Glasgow and the Clyde estuary.

The relaxation in England comes just a day after the Republic of Ireland's 799 betting shops returned to business after a six-week shutdown.

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