Casino's 24/7 Opening Rejection A 'Small Victory'

18 March 2026
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Pritti MistryEast and Lincolnshire


The daddy of a man who took his own life after ending up being addicted to gambling has called the refusal of a 24-hour betting shop in Spalding a "little triumph that will ripple throughout other communities".


Merkur Slots lost its preparation attract open 24 hr a day at its Hall Place place last week.


Dismissing the operator's appeal, the Planning Inspectorate stated it discovered "harm in respect of the result on the living conditions of neighbouring citizens" and there was "restricted advantages of the proposal".


Charles Ritchie, who established nationwide charity Gambling with Lives with his wife Liz after their boy Jack's death in 2017, invited the choice and said the "tide is turning against" huge casino companies.


In July 2022, Merkur Slots was approved authorization to operate from 07:00 to midnight Mondays to Saturdays and 10:00 to midnight on Sundays.


But the company wished to get rid of those restrictions and battled for the rights to stay open all hours.


Planners declined the bid on March 12, saying a 24-hour operation would negatively impact neighbouring residents with regard to "noise and disruption".


Ritchie said it was "great news for Spalding" and he was happy opinions by locals had been acted upon.


"Up till just recently, there's been a sort of sensation of misery. You can't do anything.


"So I think this is a little victory, but it is a message and it is something that does have ripples throughout other communities."


Merkur Slots has actually been approached for remark.


The Ritchie household, from Sheffield, have actually been campaigning for betting industry reform because the Hull University graduate killed himself while battling a gambling addiction.


In 2022, the coroner ruled the 24-year-old teacher had been stopped working by "woefully insufficient" warnings and treatments.


His moms and dads have actually long argued that gambling-related suicide is directly linked to addicting betting products and the industry's "predatory" marketing practices.


If you have been affected by any of the problems raised in this story, info and assistance can be discovered at the BBC's Action Line.


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