An Invasion of Gaming and Betting Venues in Wood Green

Well ladies and gentleman. You may have seen my last article stating that there had been an explosion of gaming and betting venues in Wood Green, but guess what, the tenth gaming and betting venue is on its way.

Last night I received an e-mail from the local authority that another license for a betting venue has been approved. Guess what ladies and gentlemen, that makes 10 (yes you heard me right), 10 gaming and betting venues in a strip of land which is no more than a mile !

You see, I may go on about this, though these venues provide virtually little to areas in which these businesses locate themselves. They suck the life out of families, their relationships, as well as the welfare benefits out of those who waste their entitlements piece by piece at these venues. I counted 9 of these venues today and it looks like the legacy of the Licensing Committee for Haringey Council has been to hand over Wood Green lock, stock and barrel to these so called ‘businesses.’

You see, I am angry. I am so angry that there has been little opposition to these measures, yet the long term ramifications to the area are plain to see. Beyond the Wood Green shopping City, the High Road is starting to decay and break down. Mainstream businesses have moved out and a stroll down the High Road towards Turnpike Lane shows that the area is peppered with gaming and betting venues. Something has fundamentally gone wrong and especially when local residents are so curtailed under existing licensing guidelines. Residents have to show and prove the possibilities of anti-social behaviour around these gaming venues and maybe I missed something, though since when were residents part time police officers?

Enough is enough! The impacts for Wood Green will be for decades and these so called businesses are a drain on the social and economic capital within the area. Finally, of this I am sure. These types of businesses are never found in such concentrations in wealthy areas. They are normally found in those areas where there is deprivation. That says a lot! The poor and dispossessed are an easy target to those who want to make a fast buck at the expense of communities.