Foxcroft Visits Grosvenor Casino Liverpool As Minister
Gambling Minister Vicky Foxcroft MP visited Grosvenor Casino Liverpool during the Labour Party Conference on Monday, meeting staff and hearing about the jobs and careers the regulated sports betting and gaming industry supports, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said on September 29.
What Happened At The Visit
The visit marked Foxcroft's first direct engagement with the sector since taking on the gambling brief.
She toured the city-centre venue, operated by The Rank Group under its Grosvenor Casinos brand, meeting employees to discuss their roles and career paths and reviewing the safer gambling measures in place to protect customers.
The Minister's hosts included representatives from Grosvenor Casinos and the BGC, among them BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst.
Industry's Case On Jobs & Tax
The BGC used the visit to highlight the land-based casino sector's economic footprint: more than 10,000 direct jobs and a further 3,700 supported roles, around 14 million customer visits a year, £515 million paid in tax in 2025 and an estimated £815 million contribution to the economy.
Grainne Hurst, BGC Chief Executive, said the sector was "under real pressure," noting that 22 casinos have closed since 2019 with the loss of more than 3,000 jobs, and warned that "further tax rises risk undermining investment and putting more jobs and venues at risk." She added the BGC looks "forward to working constructively with Vicky and the Government to support a thriving and sustainable regulated industry."
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David Williams, Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at The Rank Group, said Grosvenor's Liverpool casino alone employs more than 100 people and that the company is "looking to protect those jobs, create new opportunities and ensure that land-based casinos have a sustainable future in towns and cities throughout the country."
The BGC also cited EY modelling it commissioned, which estimates that raising Machine Games Duty to 40%, as proposed by the Social Market Foundation, could cost up to 16,000 jobs, nearly 1,500 betting shops and as many as 34 casinos, while leaving the Treasury an estimated £124 million worse off overall.
