Caroline Ansell, MP for Eastbourne, visited the Admiral high street adult gaming centre in Terminus Road recently to discuss the amusements industry, high street gaming centres and how the sector is recovering from the pandemic.
The visit provided an opportunity to meet local staff and customers, find out about the sector’s offer and discuss the importance of social responsibility measures. During the visit, Ms Ansell heard from staff at Admiral about how they implement covid-safe measures and have managed to avoid any redundancies during the pandemic.
The high street gaming sector has had a number of challenges, such as having to deal with extended lockdowns, but is beginning to recover alongside the rest of the high street.
Speaking about the visit Ms Ansell said:
“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to meet the local team at the Admiral gaming centre and find out more about the business and their place in the town centre. They have worked hard to keep players safe in these times and have built a positive community feel.
“More widely, and particularly online, there is concern about the gaming and betting industry but it was clear from this visit that Admiral takes its social responsibilities in this area very seriously.
“Any playing at Admiral is for low amounts and staff are trained to spot and deal with any problem gaming. As one gamer said: ‘I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, this is what I do for pleasure’.
“I was also impressed to hear about Admiral’s professional development programme and its investment in staff and, despite a very challenging 18 months of pandemic, I am very pleased that the company has not made any redundancies.”
Shaun Hooper, Regional Operations Director for Admiral and one of the hosts said:
“We think it is important to introduce our business first hand so that MPs and local stakeholders can see what we do. Admiral venues have an important social and entertainment offer in addition to gaming.
“Our focus is on responsible, low stake, low prize entertainment for over 18s provided in a sociable and safe environment. High street gaming centres play an important role on high streets across the UK and we are delighted to be supporting the recovery.”