More than 100 MPs have written to the prime minister to warn of thousands of redundancies in the amusement arcade industry, after the government decided at the last minute to prevent them from reopening on Monday.
The UK’s 3,000 adult gaming centres (AGCs), which feature betting machines with a maximum £2 stake, were expecting to join thousands of non-essential shops in England by reopening next week, providing a boost to coastal towns whose economies are particularly reliant on them.
But the industry was told on Thursday evening that AGCs would no longer be permitted to open, unlike high street bookmakers, with whom they compete for business.
The decision has prompted fury within the industry and among MPs, more than 100 of whom have appealed directly to Boris Johnson.
Well-placed sources said the prime minister was still considering what to do on Friday evening, leaving AGCs facing an uncertain 48 hours.
Giles Watling, who represents the Essex seaside town of Clacton, is among the MPs who have written to Johnson, warning him that “this last-minute decision means that [AGCs] will now have to make redundancies.”
Neil Finch, who owns 11 arcades under the Golden Touch brand, said he was facing severe financial difficulty as a result of the government’s short-notice change of heart.
“We’re a small business and I’ve spent in excess of £20,000 preparing my business to reopen on 15 June, to be told yesterday evening that it’s not going to happen. That’s money I can ill afford to spend.”
He said AGCs, which do not permit under-18s, were able to keep customers safe after spending money on protective barriers between the machines and introducing strict cleaning regimes.
He has also bought PPE equipment and has been paying staff brought out of furlough in readiness for reopening.
“They can’t let us get to this point and then chop our legs off 48 hours before we’re due to open,” he said.
Members of Bacta, the trade body for the amusement arcade industry, have spent £2m a week bringing staff out of furlough, £2m on PPE and raided their cash reserves for £100m to load up machines with coin floats.
Bacta added that it would be easy for the government to allow AGCs to open without including family entertainment centres, which offer games for children such as two-penny pushers and claw machines.
Downing Street had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.