Coventry gambling venue gets green light to remain open 24 hours a day

A Coventry slots and bingo venue can remain open 24 hours despite criticism of the plans from a neighbour. Gaming giant Merkur Slots was granted permission to extend the hours of its Ball Hill branch yesterday, July 2.

But one resident opposed the move, according to a Coventry council report on the scheme. Iocalul said they drive past the building several times a week but “never saw a member of the public enter the venue”.

They claimed that the “only reason” for the later hour offer is the lack of customers at other times of the day. The resident also claimed the venue was “losing money” and needed the 24-hour opening to “increase profits”.

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They raised potential noise issues, adding: “The area with a mix of commercial and residential properties is not suitable for 24-hour opening and many retail outlets close before midnight.” According to the opponent, the area is one of the city’s “poorest” and struggles with drug trafficking, begging and shoplifting.

“Merkur Slots does not benefit the local community and therefore opening 24 hours a day may add to the problems blighting this area,” they argued. But the Coventry council officer’s report also noted supporting information from Merkur Slots.

These include that the site has been open since November last year and “no noise effects were observed” or complaints received. The application was made to the council retroactively after the company was informed of the breach of the opening hours planning condition in April, a letter of intent said.

Opening the Coventry branch later would be more in line with the company’s business model, he added. It also referred to a “robust noise assessment” showing that later hours are appropriate.

Assessing the bid, a Coventry council officer noted that the council’s environmental protection team had not objected. Merkur Slots also run a 24-hour location in Foleshill with no problems, and another gaming center down the road stays open all night.

They pointed out that concerns about problems plaguing the area and claim Merkur slots not bringing “benefits” were raised when the company first applied to open the slots in 2022. But said police had no objections while a site management plan. is tracked.

The officer added that “there is no evidence” that this type of use leads to crime, anti-social behavior or noise. They said the plan was acceptable in principle and would have no significant impact on neighbors as long as conditions were met.

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