A gambling company is planning to take over a former takeaway site in Exeter. If plans are approved, it would be the brand’s second ‘adult gaming centre’ in the city.
Merkur Slots has applied to change the use of a takeaway site on Sidwell Street to a 24 hour slot machine gaming centre. The premises had previously been run by Chiipys, a takeaway serving large portions of chips, but the business closed its doors last month for unknown reasons.
There is already a Merkur Slots centre a short distance away on Fore Street, which has been open for more than 10 years. It currently has permission to open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In its application to take over the Sidwell Street site, the company explains that its venues are not betting shops. It says it does not offer fixed odds betting terminals but instead offers low stakes machines, ranging from 10p to £2.
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The Merkur brochure says: “Merkur Casino UK is one of the UK’s largest operators of High Street Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs). AGCs are often, unfortunately, put into the same category as betting shops. This is because there is a widespread misunderstanding of how AGCs operate and who our customers are.
“We want to address these misconceptions and demonstrate that a new AGC on your local high street is a good thing. Public concerns surrounding betting shops were largely due to the presence of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). Our venues do not offer these types of machines. Our machines offer low stakes ranging from 10p to a maximum of £2. These machines have been around for many, many years.”
(Image: Mary Stenson/DevonLive)
The document goes on to say that it does not serve alcohol but does provide complementary refreshments such as tea and coffee to customers. Merkur claims it has never had a licence revoked or reviewed, saying: “We simply do not generate noise and anti-social behaviour.”
Over the years, Sidwell Street has been the subject of criticism over high levels of anti-social behaviour and street drinking. The gambling company says in its planning statement that the proposed new venue will display a sign, stating that drinking alcohol outside the premises is forbidden and those that do so will be banned from entering.
The full application can be viewed on Exeter City Council’s website here.