Paul Gauselmann, founder and CEO of the Gauselmann Group, has taken the unprecedented step of writing a personal letter to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, entreating him to allow high street gaming shops to open along with other businesses next month.
Gauselmann conveyed his “disappointment and regret” at the government’s decision to keep betting shops closed, even as other high street businesses reopen in April.
Copies of the letter were sent to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. According to the Gauselmann Group, this is the first occasion that the company CEO has written to a head of government on a point of policy in more than 60 years of being a business leader.
In his letter, Gauselmann argued that the continued shutdown “is not conducive to the principles of fair competition for which Great Britain traditionally stands.” He also noted Gauselmann Group’s ongoing commitment to and investment in the U.K.; the group has invested £450 million (US$624 million) in its high-street Adult Gaming Centers and bingo halls in the country and employing more than 2,000 people.
The letter stated, “We are ready with optimism and financial strength to work with the government to support the recovery” confirming that the business can reopen safely without creating any new risks of infection.
“Our venues attract comparably small numbers of customers who do not stay for long,” Gauselmann said. “For this reason, we cannot understand the decision which permits betting shops to open even though they operate the same gaming machines. This puts us at a great competitive disadvantage and we fear a long-term loss of loyal customers as a result.”
He concluded: “Our business has been audited by the Global Gambling Guidance Group against its international standard. Such a commitment provides a strong basis for our plans to invest in the U.K. and grow. However, I am very concerned about the stress this recent decision places on our business and whether we can continue to invest as we had planned.
“We appreciate the government has to make very difficult decisions, but cannot see why, in terms of infection protection, entirely unproblematic businesses should be prevented from opening.”
