Why Can You Drink in a Bingo Hall or Casino but Not in a Betting Shop?
If you have ever visited a bingo hall or a casino, then you will most likely be aware of the ability to also consume alcohol while on the premises. And that’s something which has become quite synonymous with gambling. You only need to see a James Bond film where he visits a casino and orders a Martini shaken and not stirred, just as an example. Gambling and alcohol consumption now seem to go hand-in-hand. But what about when you visit a sports betting shop? After all, this is also a form of gambling.
Yet despite this being the case, you cannot consume alcohol in a betting shop in the same way as you can at other gambling establishments. Why is this the case? Should the rules not be the same regardless of the type of betting you are engaging in? One or two bookmaking companies have been targeted lately for even providing simple hot and cold food and drinks, let alone alcoholic beverages. William Hill, for example, was accused of “cynical” tactics when it allowed bettors to sit in a café within five of its shops and order burgers, breakfasts and other meals at low prices. This, some said, was encouraging people to go in and engage in betting as well.
But this is not something specifically different to what casinos and bingo halls provide to their guests. Drinks, including alcohol, and food have been served at such establishments for a long time now, allowing visitors to eat and drink at the same time as they gamble. Why is it allowed in certain gambling establishments but not others?
Food and Drink Serve to Enhance Revenue
Everything that occurs within a gambling establishment is done so as to increase revenue. While gambling is a prime source of such for the businesses, serving food and drink simply goes to supplement that income. Naturally, casinos and bingo halls have been benefitting from that additional revenue for many years already. The likelihood is that the land-based bookies would like to enhance their revenue in the same way, and this is potentially one of the reasons why William Hill tried cafes in five of their shops.
Without a doubt, the decision to limit the maximum stakes that can be placed on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in 2018 affected sports betting shops. Many operators prepared to close multiple shops in the wake of the changes, fearing a massive reduction in revenue. In order to try and counteract this, bookies have been trying to come up with ideas and schemes as a response.
One of the simplest ways to do so was likely to try and offer food services akin to that provided within the aforementioned bingo halls and casinos. And while William Hill trialled this, it came under fire for actually offering food that was cheaper than meals provided via McDonalds. And it was the pricing that irked people, who stated that the bookmaker was trying to employ bad tactics in order to bring people into the establishments. This, they said, was encouraging people to engage in gambling, which was one of the main reasons that the reduction in maximum stakes on FOBTs was introduced in the first place.
The Entain brand instead thought to make their land-based shops more like cafes, providing shared hosting spaces. The idea is something that came from looking to Italy and how the country operates many of its businesses. While customers can obtain what they’re looking for at the shops, they can also enjoy a cup of coffee or a snack to eat. Whether or not that sort of setup would work with the UK’s bookmakers is another question, though. While it may appeal to younger people, the older generation do tend to be synonymous with visiting a bookmaker to sit at the television screens while placing a bet with the newspaper in their hands.
Drinking Lowers Inhibitions
Of course the elephant in the room is that drinking and gambling don’t mix too well at the best of times. Drinking while gambling in a say a land-based casino is often seen as part of the entertainment but drinking alcohol in itself lowers peoples inhibitions. This could make them more likely to gamble more or make poor choices when betting.
Naturally this is good for the casino in that people are more likely to chase their bets, bet more and potentially lose more, although it is not the only reason they serve drinks. Drinks are served largely due to customer demand and people like to have a drink when relaxed in certain situations, such as a night out at a casino.
Drinking tends to make people more confident, for example, they often drive faster and with less attention and this is why drinking and driving is not allowed in most countries. Over confidence when betting can make you more likely to make poor decisions. It is one of the reasons that bookies can’t provide alcohol, given it could result in more gambling harm.
Of course, bookies know how to get around this with many shops located near pubs. While drinking in shops is not allowed there is nothing to stop people who have had a drink betting, unless they are too drunk. We will deal with this topic further down.
People who bet online can do what they like when it comes to drinking and gambling. However, many people place their worst bets when inebriated, often late at night, and this in itself can lead to further gambling harm. It is wise to not bet when you are under the influence as in most cases you will regret it the next day.
The Legalities Surrounding Drinking and Gambling
The consumption of alcohol while gambling is generally a legal activity in most societies providing legal gambling opportunities. And this is true despite there being many regulations surrounding both of these industries. Drinking alcohol while gambling is much more associated with land-based casinos than anything else, though. Betting shops differ in this respect because they aren’t usually 24-hour services while casinos are.
Because of this, it is often thought that betting shops offer much more of a daytime experience, while casinos and bingo halls are associated with night-time outings. That being said, it is not uncommon for people to go to the pub before or after visiting the bookies. In fact, many bookmakers have been set up in close proximity to pubs and clubs, which allow potential gamblers to visit them while out for a drink or two. There is nothing stopping someone from drinking and gambling at a betting shop in this way.
Why don’t the betting shops simply offer alcohol from within their premises? After all, this would ensure that people continue coming into them and can drink while betting. Yet there are official laws in place under the Gambling Act 2005 that negate any possibility of this occurring.
As part of that act, two licences need to be held by an operator wishing to provide gambling services. The first of those is an operating licence from the Gambling Commission. To ensure that a business meets the licensing objectives, it needs to ensure vulnerable people and minors are protected, and that crime and disorder are prevented. Providing alcohol within a betting shop would go against those rules, as both have negative effects on the two stated laws.
Additionally, a premises licence would need to be obtained from the local authority for the building where gambling is to take place. Certain mandatory conditions will be placed on those licences, depending upon the activity taking place there. This is another reason why bookies cannot serve alcohol, which is the same reason as to why amusement arcades cannot have people drinking on premises.
Casino licences, on the other hand, do allow alcohol to be consumed on the premises as part of their makeup. Commercial betting, regardless of the type in question, is not permitted in any other alcohol-licensed premises, either. If you own a pub with an alcohol licence and then choose to provide betting services as well, you are breaking the law. This means that casinos (and bingo halls) are the only establishments where both drinking and gambling can legally take place in the United Kingdom.
How Gambling Establishments Deal with Drunk Bettors
It would be common to wonder if anyone who gets seriously drunk is then permitted to place a sports bet or place wagers in a casino, for example. After all, someone who is under the influence of alcohol in such a way is likely not able to make proper judgements over the money that they are spending when betting.
Alcohol can have a wide variety of effects on the human body and mind. It is not uncommon to see a person who has been drinking go through a change in behaviour and mindset, with many drinkers gaining in confidence because of it. This would undoubtedly lead to some incoherent decisions being made should someone choose to gamble after engaging in a drinking session. Naturally, different people have different tolerance levels for alcohol. One of the most significant effects of drinking is the fact that people lose their sense of perspective and are unable to think rationally because of it.
Through this, when someone has lost their sense of perspective, they could significantly increase their stakes or place bets that they have never placed before. Less likely outcomes could be chosen or longer betting odds could come into play, and this makes it more likely that that person will lose their wagers. Furthermore, a bettor may struggle to remember the wagers that he or she has placed if under the influence of alcohol.
It is very easy for someone visiting a land-based casino to be tracked by staff. Pretty much wherever you go in a casino, you can be tracked by bar staff, croupiers, security, pit bosses and other employees. Therefore, it is easy for them to notice when someone is obviously drunk. Yet casinos want their customers to drink alcohol, and to enjoy it in the process. This theoretically makes them stick around longer and potentially spend more time at the betting tables. It would be silly to suggest that they want players in who are drunk, though. They have the potential to be disruptive to the games and to other visitors if they are.
Casinos also retain the right of refusal, meaning that they can deny someone the opportunity to play any of the games within. A reason doesn’t even have to be given as to why they are denying the player the chance to bet. If someone is suspected of being drunk, their bets do not have to be taken and they will simply be turned away without the necessity of being told why. Furthermore, the casino security team can remove a drunk person from the premises, if need be.
You don’t need to look far to see examples of people going overboard at casinos when drunk, though. U.S. businessman Mark Johnston filed a lawsuit against a casino in Las Vegas in 2014, after he claimed that he suffered a blackout and lost $500,000 when drunk. According to Johnston, the casino served him up to 30 alcoholic drinks as a way of encouraging him to gamble even more funds at the tables. He also claimed that the casino failed to stop him from gambling when he was too intoxicated to be doing so.
Bingo halls in the United States of America ban their players from consuming alcohol while games are in session. Yet this is not the case in the United Kingdom. Players can enjoy a tipple while they wait for the numbers to be called. However, in the same vein as casinos, a bingo hall will often reserve the right to refuse admission to anyone. This means that if they are suspected of being drunk and disorderly, they can be taken off the premises and denied the ability to continue playing the game. Again, a reason why does not need to be given to the player in question. They will simply be removed from the bingo hall, if this is how the establishment wants to proceed with things.
Bookmakers do also have a responsibility towards players, which means that they should refuse a bet if they can see someone is intoxicated and looking to gamble. People who like to have a drink sometimes drink too much, and for the reasons mentioned previously, this can make them bad gamblers. Of course, this is not always the case. Some people can drink and gamble without any problem. Yet it is at the discretion of the bookmaker as to if they choose to accept a wager from a drunk person.
The Location of Betting Shops Often Helps
Even though casinos and bingo halls allow the purchase of alcohol within their premises and sports betting shops don’t, this isn’t usually of too much consequence. Betting shops are frequently found in locations that are quite close to pubs and clubs anyway. There is nothing stopping an avid bettor from heading to the pub, downing a couple of pints and then some, and then visiting the bookies afterwards.
In fact, many people enjoy fitting both a gambling session and a drinking session in in a single go. It is of little issue to them that they are found within different buildings. It is even common to find that pubs near betting shops may even keep betting slips and coupons behind the bar, allowing customers to fill in their bets in the pub and pop next door to place them.
It is simply the official laws surrounding licensing and regulations that the Gambling Commission provides which ensure that a player cannot drink within a bookmaker’s shop. Yet there is nothing stopping someone from visiting a pub 200 metres away, engaging in a few drinks and then walking the short distance to their favoured gambling establishment to place a set of bets.
