If there is a change of government in the UK, there is nothing on the horizon that suggests that the amusement and arcade industry has anything to fear from Labour, attendees at Bacta's meeting were told yesterday.
George McGregor (pictured), executive director government relations, regulatory affairs and communications at Bacta, told the meeting that a decision on the white paper on gambling would come within days. “We half expect it next week,” he said.
He added: “We are pushing for a stakes and prizes review – you can rest assured that every meeting that we have with the government we are raising this issue.”
A change in government, he said, was likely. “What that means is that many of the MPs may disappear in October or November and many new faces will replace them. The secret to effective government relations is to get in very early.”
He recommended that operators meet with candidates before the election and introduce them to our industry to influence them. The association can help to introduce members to their local candidates.
John Bollom, Bacta's president, pointed out that new governments are susceptable to press campaigns and that nobody knows what will happen, but if one of the daily newspapers started a crusade then the industry would have to work hard to overcome the problems with new governments.
“We have to be vigilant,” he said, but historically new governments did not want to be bothered with gambling in the first term. “This only seems to come up in the second or third term in office."
He added: “We have done better with Labour governments in the past; we have always ended up with more in the cash boxes.”
Elizabeth Speed, general counsel for Novomatic UK, pointed out that it was campaigning entities that the industry needed to fear.
Bollom added that Category C machines in pubs would get sympathy as so many pubs were closing that anything that helped them stay open would be welcome. Also cranes and redemption would be sympathetically viewed. But any decision would have to go to statutory instrument that would take six weeks before becoming law, so there remained some time.
He warned that if there was an election before all this happens, then everything falls. “It is like sliding down the snake and we have to do it all again.”
