Bonuses for betting shops staff if they ignore problem gambling

Slot machine venues are paying staff bonuses based on how much gamblers lose, The Guardian has revealed.

According to an internal document seen by the newspaper, Merkur’s bonuses account for up to 80 per cent of venue managers’ annual salary. One contributing factor is the “net revenue” from slot machines, which have a £2 maximum stake with a £500 jackpot.

An anonymous former employee reported: “I have seen it on many occasions when staff members decide to leave the customer alone when he is losing. At the end of the day, the company is trying to make profit and for that the customer needs to lose.”

‘Contradiction’

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith warned that such bonuses are “an incentive not to intervene”, even if there are also targets to reduce problem gambling through staff interaction.

Labour MP Dawn Butler agreed, stating: “The payment of these bonuses seems to completely contradict statements from these companies about their commitments to social responsibility. This bonus structure should immediately be changed.

“It also begs a question as to why the Gambling Commission allows these practices”.

A Merkur spokesperson rejected the accusations, stating: “All our bonus structures are designed to recognise a range of operational and compliance metrics, including strict safer gambling, audit and training requirements.”

Failure

Earlier this year, slot machine venues were also criticised for failing to protect problem gamblers who want to quit.

All Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) must sign up to a self-exclusion scheme, which aims to identify and block access for problem gamblers who have opted in. However, when BBC reporter Greg Clark went undercover to test it out, only one out of 14 AGCs refused him entry.

The Gambling Commission described this as “very concerning”, and launched its own investigation into AGCs’ compliance with the schemes.