Bacta vows to resist Burnham’s characterisation of AGCs as ‘socially harmful’

UK trade association Bacta has pledged to oppose any move by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to fund business rate relief for other high-street venues by targeting Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs). Burnham’s “Burnham means business” initiative proposes a 20% rate cut for pubs, clubs and live music venues from April 2027, partially financed by increased taxes on vape shops. Though the plan does not explicitly name AGCs, Burnham told the press last week that he regards the sector alongside vape shops as “socially harmful”, hinting at their inclusion as a funding source.

Bacta’s Director of Communications, Allaster Gair, said the association “will oppose any attempt to make AGCs pay for relief awarded to other high street businesses”. He argued that pubs, clubs and music venues deserve support but not at the expense of another lawful, licensed and heavily taxed sector. Gair noted that AGCs already pay Machine Games Duty, irrecoverable VAT, business rates, statutory levy contributions and substantial compliance costs, and warned that singling them out would be “arbitrary, economically damaging and particularly harmful to independent and family-owned operators”.

Gair dismissed Burnham’s characterisation of AGCs as anti-social as “a sweeping and unsupported characterisation”. He emphasised that AGCs are adult-only, alcohol-free, staffed and supervised venues, licensed by both the Gambling Commission and local authorities, and operate under strict rules on customer interaction, self-exclusion, age verification and safer gambling. He called for a clear distinction between individual operator failures and the sector as a whole, insisting that enforcement should target specific breaches rather than being used to justify “collective punishment of an entire sector”.

Citing government statistics, Gair pointed out that AGCs contribute just 0.2% of total Gross Gambling Yield under the statutory levy system – a fraction of the share held by casinos, betting shops and online operators. “That is difficult to reconcile with the suggestion that AGCs are among the most harmful businesses to society,” he said, adding that the evidence shows a regulated, tax-paying sector supporting jobs and local economies. Bacta has called on the government to publish any evidence backing Burnham’s claims.