Stornoway Minister’s Blog – Gambling

Gambling

Among all the sins evident in 21st century Scotland, the sin of gambling tends to fly under the radar. That may be due, in part at least, to the increasingly rapid disappearance of the once ubiquitous betting shops on the high streets: in the wider UK, 2024 saw over 1,200 close their doors for the last time.

However, the disappearance of the local bookies does not mean the disappearance of gambling – far from it (the real reasons behind these closures are increased business rates and rising minimum wage costs). As for the gambling itself, that has simply relocated. It has moved out of (mainly) old high street buildings, which are costly to maintain, and gone online where casinos and easy digital betting opportunities abound and where gamblers have 24/7 access – which explains the otherwise inexplicable: the rapid fall in the number of betting shops running parallel with an even more rapid rise in gambling revenue.

It is no surprise, then, that Scottish government statistics reveal that over half of the Scottish population gambled between April 2023 and March 2024 and that, of these, around half were gambling in addition to playing the National Lottery.

To read the rest of this article written by Rev. Kenneth Stewart, click here.