High street slot machine shops are paying staff bonuses linked to how much gamblers lose, the Guardian has learned, prompting condemnation from MPs and campaigners. The revelation concerns Merkur, a German-owned operator of 1,451 “adult gaming centres” (AGCs) across the UK, most open 24 hours a day and concentrated in deprived areas.
Internal documents show that for Merkur venue managers, up to 80% of their annual bonus is tied to “controllable profit”, which includes “net revenues” from slot machines. These machines allow stakes of £2 every 1.5 seconds for a maximum jackpot of £500 and have been linked to higher addiction rates. Merkur posted a £15m profit for 2024, while rival Admiral Slots paid its Austrian owner a £10m dividend last year.
Jackie Olden, whose terminally ill mother lost thousands at a Merkur branch in Stockport, said: “It feels like a punch in the face that my mum might have been helped, but the staff may have been financially motivated not to stop her.” Merkur was fined nearly £100,000 earlier this year for social responsibility failings after Guardian reporting.
Merkur said it “strongly rejects” any suggestion that the scheme undermines safer gambling. Its lawyers noted that 20% of the bonus can be lost if shops fail safer gambling training targets, and a separate 20% is based on compliance and audit targets including safer gambling interactions. However, MPs from across the political spectrum raised concerns about moral hazard.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said the scheme appeared to be “an incentive not to intervene” when punters lose unaffordable sums, calling it “appalling”. Labour MP Dawn Butler said the bonuses “completely contradict” social responsibility commitments and questioned why the Gambling Commission allows such practices. The Commission banned similar bonuses for VIP schemes in 2020 but said the rules do not apply to AGCs.
