In Stoke, bet365 employs over 5000 people in a myriad of roles, many highly skilled and well paid. Jobs like these are the lifeblood of any community.
The best way to protect the small proportion who struggle is to guarantee a mature, well-regulated gaming sector.
The Betting and Gaming Council want Britain to carry on boasting a truly world class betting and gaming industry.
The work the regulated industry is doing to promote safer gambling is having an effect.
The economic contribution made by bet365 shows how vital this sector is.
This mentality should be extended to the betting and gaming sector, which is at risk of too much regulation.
For so many of my constituents, going to the bookies is part of their social life and part of having fun.
A YouGov poll found that 51 per cent of voters do not believe that politicians should set limits on how much they can bet.
It’s vital that governments in London and Edinburgh do nothing to make things more difficult than they already are.
Well intentioned measures can end up unfairly penalising the vast majority of the 30 million people in this country who enjoy a harmless bet.
While it’s important to focus on the ‘R’ rate in tackling covid, we must also balance health concerns against two other Rs – recovery versus recession.