Entain posted a YouGov poll on its website: 90% of visitors to British betting shops at least sometimes combine their visit with shopping or other errands nearby. The publication came out on October 22, six days before the UK autumn budget.
YouGov surveyed 1,475 British adults. Another 54% of respondents said they do this almost every visit or on most visits. The poll does not show how much people actually spend, so its contribution to local trade cannot be measured in money based on it.
The other figures concern attitudes toward the shops. 68% called them a usual part of the high street, and 60% said they support local employment. 76% of customers rated the shops positively as a place to socialise. For cafes, the figure was 77%.
The poll is being presented as an argument in the tax debate. The budget will be delivered on October 28, with Chancellor John Healey presenting it first, and the market expects a new increase in taxes on gambling. Entain's UK and Ireland managing director Bejay Patel said the shops should be recognised as contributors to the economy and local communities.
What is not stated: who commissioned the research, when the poll was conducted, and how respondents were selected. The sample is nationwide, not only shop customers, and the shares of 'visitors' refer to those who use them. The data is published by an operator interested in easing the tax burden on retail, which is worth considering when reading it.
For the offline retail sector and operators, the key issue now is the tax decisions in the October 28 budget. Only after those will it become clear whether this argument had any effect.
