Campaigning For Fairness In The Betting Industry

The press recently reported that Denise Coates, a director of Bet365, was paid one of the highest salaries ever awarded in the UK: in the year to March 2022 she earned £213.4 million!

People will debate whether it’s right or wrong for any one person to earn such a salary, but most can agree it’s a phenomenal amount of money. Generally, betting industry profits took a hit during the Covid pandemic, but it undoubtedly remains a highly profitable industry.

Most companies exist to make a profit for their owners or shareholders, that’s a fact of life, but in pursuit of optimal profitability, the working environments of ordinary staff should not be compromised.

Betting shop staff are entitled to expect fair treatment at work, including safe working environments and rates of pay which mean that staff do not have to work excessive hours to earn a decent living. Betting shop staff should feel valued and protected by their employers: but the reality’s very different.

The Gambling Commission

Our campaign to improve the lives of betting shop staff is well under way and we have presented our findings so far to the Gambling Commission.

What if anything will the Commission do? We don’t know but it’s clear that the failure of the chains to tackle criminality, protect staff and offer decent working conditions, whilst working hard on presentation (Age Verification is undoubtedly more about image than anything else) is worthy of very close scrutiny indeed.

Ultimately, Parliament makes the law of the country and the regulator fits under the system MPs create or allow.

We will be making absolutely sure that MPs understand exactly the state of betting in Britain.

If there’s a matter you want to raise with us, entirely confidentially of your employer, please remember you can email us at in.confidence@workaffinity.co.uk. Our Advice Team are also available 24 hours a day on 01234 716005 (choose Option 1).