Best UK areas to open betting shop
202 local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real commercial rent, local wages, business rates and market density.
Which UK areas are best for opening a betting shop in 2026?
The best UK area to open a betting shop is Blaenau Gwent (Wales), with a Gera Business Location Score of 66.2/100: premises at £59/m²/yr and local median pay of £26,241. Camden ranks lowest at 17.1/100. Ranked across 202 local authorities from 2025 government open data; re-dated annually.
Top 10 areas for betting shop
| # | Local authority | Region | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaenau Gwent | Wales | 66.2/100 | £59 | £26,241 | £2,549 |
| 2 | Merthyr Tydfil / Merthyr Tudful | Wales | 64.9/100 | £64 | £27,843 | £2,765 |
| 3 | Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin | Wales | 64.2/100 | £66 | £29,835 | £2,851 |
| 4 | Mansfield | East Midlands | 64.1/100 | £77 | £26,761 | £3,326 |
| 5 | County Durham | North East | 64/100 | £66 | £29,393 | £2,851 |
| 6 | Thanet | South East | 63.9/100 | £83 | £27,076 | £3,586 |
| 7 | Gwynedd | Wales | 63.7/100 | £93 | £25,217 | £4,018 |
| 8 | Great Yarmouth | East | 63.3/100 | £87 | £26,484 | £3,758 |
| 9 | Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | Wales | 63.3/100 | £87 | £27,011 | £3,758 |
| 10 | Bassetlaw | East Midlands | 63.1/100 | £87 | £26,888 | £3,758 |
Filter by your budget
Set a premises size and monthly budget to shortlist the areas that fit.
Budget covers estimated annual rent (VOA rateable value × floor area) plus the 2026-27 small-business rates bill (43.2p multiplier), spread over 12 months. Real reliefs (e.g. Small Business Rate Relief) can reduce the rates portion further.
Best areas to open a betting shop within £2,000/month
- 1Blaenau GwentWalesGBLS 66.2≈ £563/mo
- 2Merthyr Tydfil / Merthyr TudfulWalesGBLS 64.9≈ £611/mo
- 3Carmarthenshire / Sir GaerfyrddinWalesGBLS 64.2≈ £630/mo
- 4MansfieldEast MidlandsGBLS 64.1≈ £735/mo
- 5County DurhamNorth EastGBLS 64≈ £630/mo
- 6ThanetSouth EastGBLS 63.9≈ £792/mo
- 7GwyneddWalesGBLS 63.7≈ £888/mo
- 8Great YarmouthEastGBLS 63.3≈ £831/mo
- 9Denbighshire / Sir DdinbychWalesGBLS 63.3≈ £831/mo
- 10BassetlawEast MidlandsGBLS 63.1≈ £831/mo
- 11BlackpoolNorth WestGBLS 62.8≈ £840/mo
- 12South TynesideNorth EastGBLS 62.7≈ £916/mo
- 13North LincolnshireYorkshire and The HumberGBLS 62.7≈ £754/mo
- 14Isle of WightSouth EastGBLS 62.6≈ £945/mo
- 15HyndburnNorth WestGBLS 62.4≈ £850/mo
Betting shop by region
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the cheapest place to open a betting shop in the UK?
- By premises cost alone, the lowest VOA rateable value among the 202 ranked areas is £59/m²/yr in Blaenau Gwent. But the Gera Business Location Score also weighs local wages and market demand: on the combined score, Blaenau Gwent ranks #1 at 66.2/100.
- How much is rent and business rates for betting shop premises in Blaenau Gwent?
- In Blaenau Gwent, the VOA rateable value for this property type is £59 per m² per year. For a 100 m² unit that is about £5,900/yr rent, plus roughly £2,549/yr business rates at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p) — before any Small Business Rate Relief.
- What data is this based on?
- VOA Non-Domestic Rating Business Floorspace (rateable value per m², 31 March 2025), ONS UK Business Counts 2025 (market density), ONS ASHE 2025 (local wages) and ONS mid-2024 population — all Open Government Licence v3.0, joined on the ONS local-authority code.
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).