The number of betting shops across Britain is continuing to fall as the gambling industry changes, leaving some former premises available for new uses.
In Stone, one of the clearest examples is the former Betfred shop at 42 to 44 High Street, which became the town’s permanent Banking Hub in July 2025.
The change has brought a different service to a prominent town centre location, giving residents and businesses access to face-to-face banking following the closure of local bank branches.
Betting shops are disappearing from British high streets
Figures published by the Gambling Commission show that there were 5,617 betting shops in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, a reduction of 3.6% compared with the previous year.
The same figures show that online casino, betting and bingo operators generated £8.3 billion in gross gambling yield during the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of 6.9% on the previous year.
The figures point to a changing industry, although they do not establish that online gambling is responsible for every individual shop closure.
For high streets, the closure of a bookmaker creates the possibility of putting the premises to a different use. What replaces it, and how long it takes to find a new occupant, will vary from town to town.
Former Betfred becomes Stone’s permanent Banking Hub
Stone’s former Betfred shop provides a local example of that change.
The premises at 42 to 44 High Street were selected as the permanent home for Stone Banking Hub after the town lost its remaining traditional bank branches.
As A Little Bit of Stone reported in November 2024 , plans were already progressing to convert the former betting shop into a shared banking facility.
The hub subsequently opened on 4 July 2025 , replacing the temporary service that had been operating from the Frank Jordan Centre.
Operated by Cash Access UK, the facility provides a Post Office counter for everyday banking transactions, including cash withdrawals, deposits and balance enquiries.
Customers can also speak to visiting representatives from participating banks on designated days. The service is intended to support people who still need access to in-person banking, including those who cannot easily manage everything online.
The hub is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.
A different future for town centre premises
The conversion of the former Betfred building is one example of how Stone’s High Street continues to change.
Elsewhere in the town centre, other former commercial premises have been given new uses.
BEAR, at 57 High Street, occupies a former HSBC bank building. The independent coffee house opened in Stone in 2018, retaining features of the original premises while transforming the interior to accommodate seating and dining areas.
Although BEAR was not previously a betting shop, its use of a former bank shows how buildings originally designed for one purpose can accommodate different businesses.
Stone Community Hub offers a separate example of the importance of accessible town centre facilities.
Based at the Frank Jordan Centre on Lichfield Street, the charity provides practical support, a food bank, drop-in services and regular activities, including a craft group.
The charity has its own premises and is not a replacement for a former bookmaker, but it provides another place where residents can access services and meet others.
Online betting continues to grow
While physical betting shops are declining in number, gambling itself has not disappeared.
Online operators offer sports betting and casino games without requiring customers to visit a high street premises.
According to Betting.co.uk , which compares online casino operators, its reviews consider factors including licensing, game selection, payment methods, bonuses and responsible gambling tools. These comparisons relate to online casinos, which are not direct equivalents of traditional betting shops.
The availability of online services gives customers a different way to gamble, although it does not remove the financial and other risks associated with gambling.
Nor does the growth of online betting necessarily mean that every bookmaker’s premises will close. Physical betting shops continue to operate across the country, and individual operators make their own decisions about their retail estates.
What does the change mean for Stone?
For Stone, the most recent tangible result has been the reuse of the former Betfred premises.
The Banking Hub has given the town a dedicated location for everyday banking and access to visiting bank representatives, services that cannot always be replicated through a website or app.
The conversion does not establish that every betting shop closure will benefit a local community, or that a replacement business will automatically generate more spending elsewhere on the High Street.
However, it does show how a vacant commercial property can accommodate a service that residents have a practical reason to use.
With Britain’s betting shop numbers continuing to fall, the future of former bookmaker premises remains a question for high streets across the country. In Stone, one such building has already found a new purpose.
