Spalding casino's 24-hour opening opposed by addict's parents

The parents of a man who took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling have opposed plans for a 24-hour betting shop in Spalding.

Liz and Charles Ritchie set up the Gambling with Lives charity following their son Jack's death in 2017.

Casino firm Merkur Slots is planning to apply for a 24-hour licence at its Hall Place venue.

Mr Ritchie said there was "already a concentration of bookies" in the town centre, which was "not healthy".

"There's very clear stats that show that people who gamble late at night or through the night are much, much more likely to be harmed," he told the BBC.

"The situation in Spalding is that there are already, I think, nine or 10 bookies there.

"The last thing you need is a kind of all-night facility."

In July 2022, Merkur Slots was granted permission to operate from 07:00 to midnight Mondays to Saturdays and 10:00 to midnight on Sundays.

However, according to planning documents the firm wants to remove the restrictions on opening hours.

When asked by the BBC about the move a spokesperson for Merkur said: "We haven't yet submitted an application, so we are not in a position to comment.

"We don't know exact timings as we will work with the relevant responsible bodies first and carry out due diligence."

When the original opening hours were set the planning inspectorate ruled the venue was "within what appears to be a quiet street at night" and 24-hour use "could harm the living conditions of existing residents".

Mr and Mrs Ritchie were awarded MBEs in the News Years Honours list for their work setting up Gambling with Lives in 2018.

The couple have long argued that gambling-related suicide is directly linked to addictive betting products and the industry's "predatory" marketing practices.

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