{"id":57733,"date":"2024-03-15T12:45:49","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T12:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/?p=57733"},"modified":"2024-03-15T12:45:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T12:45:50","slug":"merkur-casino-withdraws-application-for-new-slots-location-in-sheffield-following-public-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/03\/15\/merkur-casino-withdraws-application-for-new-slots-location-in-sheffield-following-public-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkur Casino withdraws application for new slots location in Sheffield following public backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A slot machine company has withdrawn their application for a new premises in Sheffield following opposition from people in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merkur Casino made the application on December 18 but decided to withdraw it on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They planned to open the venue on Sheffield City Centre High Street, with it being listed as a \u2018Bingo Premises\u2019, which some people found to be misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jackie Wilson, who opposed the application, said: \u201cMerkur operate 24 hour adult gaming centres, which cram as many high stake slot machines in as possible.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added: &#8220;They apply for their licence under the pretence of a bingo facility, conjuring the image of a social place where people go for fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The reality is row after row of slot machines, with desperate, isolated people playing every penny they have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"667\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/merkur-slots-application.png\" alt=\"Merkur's licensing application for new venue in Sheffield (now withdrawn)\" class=\"wp-image-57745\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/merkur-slots-application.png 667w, https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/merkur-slots-application-480x524.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 667px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merkur&#8217;s licensing application for new venue in Sheffield (now withdrawn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The charity \u2018Gambling With Lives\u2019, which provides support for those affected by gambling disorders, were amongst those who were challenging the licence application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The charity said the withdrawal is \u2018great news for Sheffield\u2019 on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">GOOD NEWS!<br><br>Merkur \u2013 whose license we were challenging for a slots venue in Sheffield city centre \u2013 have withdrawn their application.<br><br>This is nothing but positive for Sheffield, one less slots premises means fewer people harmed. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k5nRWDHp9i\">pic.twitter.com\/k5nRWDHp9i<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Gambling with Lives (@GambleWithLives) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GambleWithLives\/status\/1767596419073151079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On a Reddit post discussing the issue, user WanderingWhat said: \u201cAs a psychiatric nurse it\u2019s absolutely heart-breaking seeing so many of my patients with gambling addictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gambling addiction is a mental health problem and often goes hand in hand with other mental health problems and addictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They added: &#8220;It\u2019s shameful that these people are exploiting those who are unwell whilst we\u2019re sorting out food bank referrals etc. An addiction is not a choice. Nobody would want to live like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The venue was set to be open 7am to 2am every day which was a concern for the council and those in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another Merkur Casino in Spalding, Lincolnshire, tried to extend their opening hours to 24 hours in September 2023 but were denied, with Police saying they thought doing so would lead to additional crime and anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A similar proposal was made for a new gambling venue on Fargate in August last year which was rejected by councillors, with Councillor Douglas Johnson stating that opening the store would have been a \u2018step backwards\u2019 for the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The gambling company already own a store in Rotherham, which is open 9am until 6am everyday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On their website, Merkur Casino encourage people to gamble responsibly and seek help if they need it from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.begambleaware.org\/\" title=\"BeGambleAware\">BeGambleAware<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shefnews asked Merkur for comment on their application withdrawal, but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A slot machine company has withdrawn their application for a new premises in Sheffield following opposition from locals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":57753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,82],"tags":[1385,1013,1386,186],"class_list":["post-57733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-story","tag-casino","tag-gambling","tag-merkur","tag-sheffield-city-centre"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - 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