Gambling Reform APPG

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform strongly welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement that the Government will abolish the statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ requirement, describing the move as a major step towards giving councils and communities greater control over gambling premises on their high streets.

The APPG has long called for reform of the existing rules, which have constrained the ability of local authorities to respond to concerns about the proliferation and clustering of gambling premises in their communities.

Removing the ‘Aim to Permit’ will help give councils a stronger voice over the future of their high streets and greater ability to respond to local concerns, while ensuring that the prevention of gambling-related harm is given greater weight in local decision-making.

The announcement follows sustained campaigning by members of the APPG and local authorities across the country.

In 2025, the campaign was championed by APPG member Dawn Butler MP, who has been a leading parliamentary voice calling for reform and stronger powers for local communities.

As part of its work on the issue, the APPG has brought together representatives from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Brent Council, leading academic experts and campaigners to examine the proliferation of Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) and B3 gaming machines on Britain’s high streets.

Evidence presented to the Group highlighted particular concerns about the disproportionate concentration of AGCs in more deprived communities, as well as the impact that the proliferation of gambling premises can have on the diversity and vitality of local high streets and opportunities for local employment.

The APPG has continued to press the case for change through engagement with Ministers and Government, while supporting Brent Council and other local authorities in their calls for stronger powers to determine the appropriate mix of premises in their communities.

The Prime Minister’s announcement represents an important example of sustained parliamentary, local government and campaigning efforts translating into meaningful reform.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Gambling Reform, said:

“I am very pleased to see the Government finally listen to appg calls to end the outdated Aim to Permit rule, which has allowed unwanted adult gaming centres to take over and degrade our high streets. 

Across too many towns and cities, Adult Gaming Centres  have proliferated displacing the shops, services and amenities that were once the heart of local communities. They create few jobs, deliver little economic benefit, and can drive antisocial behaviour and serious gambling harms. 

As Chair of the APPG on Gambling Reform, I have long argued that local communities must have a meaningful say over the huge clustering of such premises in their area. This announcement is an important step towards restoring that control and reducing subsequent gambling harms, but it cannot be the end of the matter.

The Government must now go further. I will continue to press for more effective regulation and  enforcement, including closing loopholes around addictive gaming machines and introducing a robust national self-exclusion scheme to better protect individuals, families and communities.”

Alex Ballinger MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Gambling Reform, said:

“I strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to abolish Aim to Permit, a meaningful step towards delivering Labour’s commitment to reduce gambling harm.

Scrapping this requirement will help address the clustering of gambling premises on high streets. These venues have crowded out shops and services that local people rely on, while bringing little in the way of jobs or regeneration. Concentrations of gambling premises are also deepening gambling harms, with the burden falling most heavily on areas already facing economic hardship. 

The Prime Minister’s decision will give local communities a real say over the future of their neighbourhoods, putting power in every postcode and ensuring decisions are shaped by the people who know their communities best – not by the interests of large gambling operators.

This is not about stopping the occasional flutter. It is about preventing avoidable harm, putting people before profit, and building high streets that work for the people who live there.”

Dawn Butler MP, member of the APPG on Gambling Reform, said:

“I am delighted to see the Prime Minister take decisive action today to address the unchecked growth of gambling venues on our high streets.

I have long campaigned to scrap Aim to Permit. For too long, councils and local residents have had too little power to respond to the concentration of gambling premises, even where their harmful effects are clear. At a time when too many of our high streets have already been hollowed out, Adult Gaming Centres have become yet another scourge on our communities.

This long-overdue change will give people a stronger voice in decisions about their neighbourhoods and help support healthier, more diverse and thriving local communities.

The Prime Minister has shown real leadership in listening and acting. This must now be the first step towards further action to tackle gambling-related harm and empower local areas to shape their own futures.”

While the announcement represents a significant step forward, further action will be required to tackle gambling-related harm and ensure that gambling regulation is fit for the modern age. This must include robust enforcement of existing protections, including the 80/20 machine ratio in Adult Gaming Centres, as well as ensuring that self-exclusion arrangements are effective and properly enforced.

The APPG looks forward to working constructively with the Prime Minister and the Government to ensure the removal of ‘Aim to Permit’ is implemented in a timely and effective manner, and that the reforms deliver the meaningful change in local powers that councils and communities have long called for.