Stoke-on-Trent MP: Bet365 a levelling up success story
Jo Gideon heaps praise on gambling sector for creating “wealth and opportunity” as she implores government to protect industry
Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Jo Gideon has championed bet365’s success as “levelling up in action” as she called on government to support the industry post-white paper.
The 2019 Conservative intake MP, who has already confirmed she will not be standing at the next general election, praised bet365 and operators based in the north of England as case studies for non-London growth.
Writing in PoliticsHome, Gideon followed a series of fellow MPs to take the chance to lend their support to the industry as it faces an uncertain future following the publication of the white paper in April.
In support of bet365, Gideon said: “Betting and gaming is subject to fierce debate in the press. But I get to see firsthand the benefits a true technological powerhouse can bring to a city like Stoke.
“At their modern, new HQ in the heart of the city, bet365 employs over 4,000 people, many in highly skilled software and technology roles. These jobs generate wealth and opportunity that spreads beyond the doors of bet365.
“Crucially, unlike many tech companies, bet365 resides outside the capital, attracting talent to the region instead of drawing it away. This is levelling up in action – one born out of industry and enterprise, not officials in Whitehall,” she added.
Levelling up has been a government policy since 2021, which has seen it award almost £4bn to projects to improve services, infrastructure and communities, primarily outside of London and the South East.
Gideon continued: “It is not just Stoke that benefits from the wider industry. Leeds, Sunderland, Sheffield, Warrington, Manchester and many other towns and cities outside the capital also benefit from a UK sector which leads the world.”
Bet365 also has a Manchester tech hub, while Flutter-owned Sky Bet is based in Leeds. Betfred calls Warrington home, while Tombola is based out of Sunderland.
However, the MP said the onus was on government to support the sector amid a debate that is “terse, ill-informed and frankly patronising”.
She said: “If this hobby, and the businesses which support it, are undermined, it will have an economic impact.
“The white paper launched eight separate consultations, and the proposals arising from those consultations could yet have huge ramifications on the betting and gaming sector, and for Stoke. It is vital we get those right if we are to protect jobs and investment,” she added.