Exclusive: MPs and campaigners condemn ‘appalling’ reward scheme for Merkur venue managers

High street slot machine shops are paying their staff bonuses linked to how much gamblers lose, the Guardian has learned, prompting condemnation of the “appalling” reward scheme from MPs and campaigners.

A network of 1,451 “adult gaming centres” (AGCs), most of which are open 24 hours a day, has spread through the UK in recent years, concentrated in the most economically deprived areas.