CORALS has become the first bookmaker to be given permission for a shop on a Winchester estate.
City licensing chiefs have approved a plan to convert a video shop in Stoney Lane, Weeke, despite numerous objections.
Objectors included the Winchester suburb's two churches, along with governors of Weeke Primary School, Henry Beaufort School in Harestock, and residents.
Their concerns centred on the potential for children and vulnerable people to be lured into addiction.
Philip Day, solicitor for Corals, told the licensing sub-committee: "People under 18 are simply not allowed in. There is a difference between gambling and liquor."
The council will insist on CCTV outside the shop and window notices giving contact details of help for gambling addicts.
It is the first application following the 2005 Gambling Act, which came into force on September 1.
The act makes it hard for local authorities to reject a plan unless they can prove that it will encourage crime and disorder.
The new bookies in Weeke will bring the number in Winchester to four. Corals, Ladbrokes and Stan James have shops in the city centre.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article