Grosvenor: Lift the curfew and allow casinos to reopen

Gambling News

Grosvenor: Lift the curfew and allow casinos to reopen

According to Debbie Husband, national director of operations at Grosvenor UK, it is "extremely crucial" that casinos continue to be "hitched to the larger hotel sector."

The remarks were published in a blog run by the Betting and Gaming Council. They were made at the same time as the UK government and its devolved counterparts were formulating proposals to relax lockdown rules following a "year of immense frustration."

According to the husband, "Had that irritation been grounded by any scientific data, we would have swallowed it up and dealt with it." But that wasn't the case. All of the information suggested that casinos were more secure than large swaths of organizations and sectors that were nevertheless able to do business.

Curfew orders should be a thing of the past, according to Husband, who notes that a schedule and criteria for exiting the present lockdown are reportedly on their way. In the meanwhile, however, the situation should be monitored closely.

She goes on to say that "much more crucial for us, right now, is the need to relegate the misguided "curfew" to the dustbin of 2020." "Who could forget the scenes of overcrowded tube stations and bustling High Streets around 11 o'clock at night, when the curfew began to take effect? No convincing proof that the curfew was effective has been brought to my attention or presented to me as of yet. My only knowledge is that it severely damaged the gambling industry.

According to Husband, the requirement of such a step is also a reminder of a consistent message that the BGC has been sending out over the last few months, which is that casino operations produce a considerable amount of their overall income after 10pm.

Adding that the hour before midnight is normally the busiest of any 24-hour trade period, Husband comes to the conclusion that the curfew should be abolished and that we should be given the opportunity to develop our company.

"Absolutely nothing could mean more to me than seeing the end of a virus that has caused so much harm to families, but I have a duty to my coworkers and to our customers to fight for our corner and to speak up for casinos that are COVID-secure."

"I continue to hold out hope that the government will acknowledge what we're requesting, what we're offering to do, the tremendous contribution that we make to employment and tax receipts, and to ensure that casinos can play our part in the recovery of our towns and cities in a safe and secure manner as soon as possible rather than later," said one casino executive.