Merkur Slots had sought permission for a 24-hour venue in Hoe Street, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

A controversial application for a new gambling shop in Walthamstow has been rejected by the borough council.

Merkur Slots had sought permission for a new venue in Hoe Street at a licensing hearing this week, having never before been refused a licence.

The gambling sub-committee, made up of three elected Waltham Forest councillors, refused the proposals on the third day of deliberations.

It raised serious concerns about the proposed 24-hour opening times and said it was “not convinced” by Merkur Slots’ arguments that most people visiting shops in the early hours were hospitality workers unwinding after their shifts.

In its reasoning, published today (2nd April), the sub-committee said it “appreciated that the applicant had many procedures and policies in place, however, based on the evidence at the hearing they do not believe these would mitigate the harm to vulnerable people and children”.

There is deprivation in the area and the area around the venue is used by high numbers of children and young persons, the committee said.

It also pointed to the combined 59 people who had excluded themselves from Merkur Slots’ Leytonstone and Chingford branches.

The committee said this was evidence “vulnerable persons have voluntarily recognised that they are being harmed by gambling”.

Several representatives for Merkur Slots attended, including a barrister with experience in licensing, and the company submitted a 381-page bundle of evidence to the committee.

The company operates more than 230 venues across the UK and has never been refused a licence before.

They argued gambling was no different than other leisure activities – such as drinking alcohol or “using social media” – and was enjoyed by “many, many” people safely and lawfully. The harms were mitigated by heavy regulation, they added.

Six objections were lodged against the scheme and seven people attended the meeting to speak against it, including councillors, residents and public health officers.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, the co-deputy leader of Waltham Forest and a ward representative for Hoe Street, pointed to a 2025 report in the Guardian that said staff bonuses were based on how much the companies earned, and therefore how much gamblers were losing.

Merkur representatives contested this with the committee, and said that “around 40%” of bonuses were determined by profits.

In their review, the committee said they were “very concerned that due to the low footfall the customers were spending a lot of their money once in the [adult gaming centres]”.

The committee also heard from Fiona Holden, a resident who lives directly above the premises and did not want to see the application go ahead.

She said police were called to the area “once a month already” and it was plagued by “a lot of noise disturbance”.

In her formal objection, submitted to the council in writing ahead of the hearing, she said the plans “failed to respect the amenity of existing residents”.

During their objections, council officers stressed there was “no moral opposition” to gambling and their concerns were rooted in licensing law.

Merkur Slots will have 28 days to appeal the decision.

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