Although Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is moving the country to level zero from today, in a bizarre move she has implemented a 12 pm curfew on hospitality venues despite an earlier report clearly states hospitality venues are safe.
Casinos at Risk
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has urged Nicola Sturgeon to rethink the decision as over 700 casino employees face more uncertainty and the effects on the £30 million tax generated from the casino sector.Chartered environment health practitioner Dr. Lisa Ackerly said casinos were “as safe, if not safer” than any other hospitality venue, with huge sacrifices made to implement Covid-secure venues to protect its customers.The Casino industry will be affected more severely than other hospitality businesses as more than half of casino customers frequent land-based casinos after 10 pm. Employees working in Scottish casinos will be affected along with the tax revenue generated by the casino industry.
“Bizarre Decision”
BGC CEO Michael Dugher has spoken about the decision after the casino sector had once again “had the rug pulled from under its feet”, calling the decision “Bizarre”.“The casino industry has been forced to withstand a series of inexplicable decisions by politicians within the last year and is now coming to terms with yet another setback. The brutal truth is that a curfew is disastrous for casinos and we are under the impression that a move to level 0 would see the curfew finally removed next week, but that’s no longer the case.”Michael Dugher has urged Nicola Sturgeon to overturn the curfew and rethink the impact on casino employees. He feels the lack of understanding of how casinos work had been overlooked. Many do business after 10 pm and forced closure of 10 pm would be economical ‘self-harming’ to the industry