UK amusement and land-based gaming trade association Bacta has vowed to push back against any attempt by PM Andy Burnham and to use Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) as means to fund tax relief for other high-street businesses.
The PM’s “Burnham means business” plan aims to reinstate stability within the UK leisure economy by introducing a 20% business rate relief for pubs, clubs, and live music venues.
Funding from these cuts, envisioned to be implemented in April 2027, has been confirmed in the plan to partially come from vape shops.
And although AGCs have not been directly listed in the plan itself, when speaking to the media last week, Burnham named the sector outright alongside vape shops as “socially harmful” – hinting at AGCs potentially being used as an additional funding source.
