Mr Pawsey, who was hosted by Praesepe Chief Operating Officer, Mark Schertle, Gauselmann UK's newly appointed Director of Public and Political Relations, Tony Boulton and Head of Compliance, Amanda Kiernan, commented: "It was great to visit the Merkur Cashino in Rugby, meet the team and to see the measures that they've put in place to make the AGC a Covid-secure environment for visitors.

"Now more than ever, it's absolutely vital to support local businesses on our high streets as we look to rebuild and recover after lockdown. The months ahead will be challenging for businesses and retailers, but the government is committed to ensuring they have the support they need, and it was important for me to get honest feedback from Tony, Mark and the team. I look forward to visiting again soon to see how things are progressing."

Reflecting on the visit and the overall objectives, Tony Boulton said: "When we announced our political campaign we were very clear that our strategy moving forward is to get to know as many of the MPs representing constituencies in which Gauselmann UK has venues and employs local people.

"Mr Pawsey was very keen to meet staff and find out how we were coping with social distancing, track and trace undertakings and the hygiene protocols – all of which he was able to witness in operation. I think he was suitably impressed by the environment, which has a typical Cashino high street footprint of 60 machines, by the professionalism of the customer-facing staff and by the contributions the Group makes to the national economy as well as numerous local economies.

"From our perspective, it's absolutely vital that MPs understand exactly what the AGC sector is all about.  A lack of understanding has often been the root cause of many of the policy/political miss-steps that have held back the industry, something which we simply cannot afford as we approach the review of the Gambling Act."

"Hosting MPs in what is our place of work and explaining how we live social responsibility, demonstrating why the 80/20 rule is damaging business and how not being able to offer a range of payment methods restricts consumer choice, has to be far more effective than writing a letter or sending an email. Instead, our focus is on building relationships and creating a dialogue with our constituency MPs."