A bookmakers trade association has questioned Dundee City Council’s call to tackle “insidious” gambling in the city.
Councillors agreed to call on the Westminster government to change the Gambling Act 2005 as one of a raft of measures “to tackle and heighten awareness of the social problems caused by gambling”.
During discussions over the proposals SNP administration leader Ken Guild described gaming machines as “insidious” and said the proliferation of online gambling was “a recipe for disaster” for the city.
The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), which represents around 80% of bookmaking firms, has hit back at the suggestions, claiming gambling makes a “significant contribution” to the local economy.
James Barrow from the ABB said: “Our door is always open to any local authority or councillor that wants to speak to us about the role of betting shops in their areas.
“The truth is that the betting industry makes a significant contribution to the Scottish economy, supporting more than 7,000 jobs and contributing around £350 million a year.
“As the UK Government has confirmed, there are a number of controls local authorities already possess to control the location of shops.”
He reiterated that the gambling industry was committed to working with councils to ensure that the percentage of problem gamblers did not increase from the current “low 0.7%”.
He highlighted the ABB’s Code for Responsible Gambling and Player Protection the organisation believes offers safety measures “over and above” those already in existence.
The code includes measures to help avoid problem gambling, such as the setting of spending and time limits by customers, greater breaks in play and increased staff training.
Mr Barrow said: “We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that our customers make an informed and responsible choice about their gambling particularly those playing on machines.
“It is the reason why we recently launched our new code of conduct for player protection and responsible gambling.”
Other measures agreed by the council on Monday include the blocking of access to all gambling websites on council and publicly accessible computers, as well as restrictions and greater regulation of bookmakers advertising.
Attempts to target problem gambling follow an agreement last month by councillors that it was too easy to get a drink in the city.
The range of measures being considered to address the situation include banning new licences across the entire city, unless an applicant can prove their venue will not contribute to alcohol over-provision.