18 March 2026
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Pritti MistryEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
The daddy of a guy who took his own life after ending up being addicted to gaming has actually called the refusal of a 24-hour wagering store in Spalding a "little success that will ripple throughout other communities".
Merkur Slots lost its planning appeal to open 24 hours a day at its Hall Place location recently.
Dismissing the operator's appeal, the Planning Inspectorate said it found "damage in respect of the impact on the living conditions of neighbouring homeowners" and there was "minimal advantages of the proposition".
Charles Ritchie, who established national charity Gambling with Lives with his partner Liz after their kid Jack's death in 2017, welcomed the choice and said the "tide is turning against" big gambling establishment firms.
In July 2022, Merkur Slots was approved permission to operate from 07:00 to midnight Mondays to Saturdays and 10:00 to midnight on Sundays.
But the business wished to remove those limitations and defended the rights to stay open all hours.
Planners turned down the quote on March 12, stating a 24-hour operation would adversely affect neighbouring residents with regard to "noise and disturbance".
Ritchie stated it was "excellent news for Spalding" and he was delighted viewpoints by locals had actually been acted on.
"Up till recently, there's been a kind of feeling of misery. You can't do anything.
"So I believe this is a little triumph, but it is a message and it is something that does have ripples across other neighborhoods."
Merkur Slots has actually been approached for comment.
The Ritchie family, from Sheffield, have been campaigning for gambling industry reform considering that the Hull University graduate killed himself while battling a gaming dependency.
In 2022, the coroner ruled the 24-year-old instructor had actually been stopped working by "woefully inadequate" cautions and treatments.
His moms and dads have actually long argued that gambling-related suicide is directly linked to addictive wagering products and the market's "predatory" marketing practices.
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