Photo credit:Â Jaggers, Flickr
More than a thousand people have backed Hackney Council’s petition against betting shops.
The signatures collected on change.org ask the government to reclassify betting shops so that the council and residents can object to them being opened in place of shops or offices. Current planning regulations mean there are no restrictions.
There are 65 betting shops in Hackney, with eight on Mare Street alone.
Shares in gambling firms tumbled on Wednesday as the government announced a 25% tax on fixed odds betting machines.
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@KatieVMarston
I’m surprised there weren’t more signatures (I signed and got other to too).
This campaign should not fade, it’s time for the gambling racket to be destroyed.
Let’s get these blights on our community out. Along with
PayDay Loan Sharks.
Betting shops are an ugly infection on the streets of Hackney preying on the vulnerable.
The irony that they are taking over the original community hub – the pub – and destroying lives is a national disgrace…
Let’s get them out of Hackney and then the country.