Member

As the noble Lord, Lord Foster, said, this issue generally targets the most disadvantaged areas. The number of slot machine shops, also known as adult gaming centres, has gone up by 7% since 2022; they are disproportionately concentrated in the most deprived areas. More than half of all adult gaming centres in England are in the most deprived 20% of wards. Take as an example Middlesbrough and Hull, which are the fourth and fifth most deprived areas in the country: they have 28 adult gaming centres between them.