Chinatown to ‘Gamblingtown’? - Chinese community members call on council to curb growth of betting shops

Published: 12 November 2010
by JOSH LOEB

CHINATOWN residents called on Westminster City Council to curb the growth of betting shops in the area during a public protest.

Members of the Chinese community held placards in Cantonese and English at the rally on Sunday claiming that if City Hall does not stop granting licences to bookies wishing to open in the area, “Chinatown will become Gamblingtown”.

Nikki Lee, Chinese community team leader at London Citizens, the group which organised the protest, said gambling was leading to the breakdown of marriages and plunging people into debt. 

She added: “We don’t want Soho to become a gambling quarter. Chinatown is much more than a cluster of betting shops; we represent all that is diverse and dynamic about London.”

Cllr Brian Connell, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for business, said: “I cannot see how a handful of extra betting shops in an area like the West End is a significant contributory factor, particularly with the easy availability of online gambling.

“We will work with the Chinese community and gambling groups to ensure there is advice, in Mandarin and Cantonese, available on premises around dealing with gambling addiction.

“But we could not possibly refuse, or would wish to refuse, a licence on the basis of race – be it Chinese or any other – or seek to exclude a race from using betting shops in case they are tempted into gambling.”