With the decline in the number of banks and building societies on most high streets, that has had a negative effect on betting shops, as they are now becoming the number one target for criminals, ever eager to target places that hold large amounts of cash within them.
It appears that not a day goes by without a betting shop being victim to some sort of robbery, and when you couple that with the increased number of attacks on the employees in such venues, it is something that does need to be addressed and quickly.
Many commentators are suggesting that in future when a new betting shop applies for a license and permit to operate, or when a betting shop operator is renewing their license to operate those licenses should only be issued in the operators of such venues have in place robust protection methods and systems for their employees.
One of the causes of attacks on betting shop employees are FOBT’s those being the gaming machines that many punters do enjoy playing and gaming machines that do generate a huge amount of cold hard cash for betting shop operators on a day to day basis.
Panic and Safe Rooms Increased
Due to most betting shops now being open well into the evening, and with many of those premises being manned by just one person in the evening, that does leave the employees working in the prone to being victim of a robbery or attack, and with bookies reporting increased profits they are likely to continue.
Most betting shops will have all kinds of measures in place to attempt to thwart such attacks, such as encasing the counter area in bullet proof glass and/or having a spate room that an employee can make their way into and lock themselves in if any robbery attempt is imminent or in progress.
Most Bookmaker Robberies Go Un-Reported
One thing that has been noticeable over the last few years is that if a betting shop is the victim of what they would call a minor attack, which usually and often does take the form of one or more of their FOBT’s being attacked, vandalised or smashed up by a disgruntled punter, those crimes will not go reported.
As such it may now be the time that all bookmakers are forced by law to report every single type of attack on their premises, staff or gaming machines, so the powers that be can actually see just how widespread those incidents are.
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