ARMED with a tub of two-pence pieces on Clacton Pier, Nigel Farage’s eyes light up as he approaches the slot machines.
“I love a bet,” the architect of Brexit tells me. “I’m a self-confessed gambler, but not a problem one.
Nigel Farage shows off some of his haul from the coin-pusher machineCredit: Louis Wood
Clacton pier employs 150 local peopleCredit: Alamy
“Remember, I was a commodities trader in the City. I love the horses.”
proudly says that he returned from his annual trip to the in March with “his pocket a lot thicker than when I went in”.
The leader placed “a grand” on Leave to win the 2016 EU referendum when it was 4-1 against.
And he “did quite well” gambling on taking that same year.
But today, he cites the humble tuppenny coin push and £1 slot machines on Clacton’s Pier in as the reasons why he is backing The Sun’s .
is worried a proposed gambling tax raid by Chancellor in her this month could price them out of existence.
“These seaside arcades are part of our cultural heritage and they’re fun,” says the man who is currently bookies’ favourite to be the next Prime Minister after Sir Keir Starmer.
“I’ve had just about enough of the modern-day Cromwellian puritans deciding how we should enjoy ourselves.
“What gets forgotten with gambling and alcohol is that the vast majority of people use these things perfectly responsibly.”
Rite of passage
Clacton’s famous pier opened in 1871 and is the beating heart of .
Gesturing at the teeming family arcade, he adds: “There are kids putting tuppences in machines, having fun and making memories that will last them for the rest of their lives.
“If they increase tax on these machines, this place may close and the country would be all the poorer for it. So I’m 100 per cent behind The Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign. It matters.”
Sticking a few coppers in the coin-pushers at a rain-lashed seaside resort is something of a rite of passage for British children.
And the pier in Clacton, almost 80 miles north east of London, has remained a year-round draw.
The slots here are a vital part of the 6.5-acre entertainment package, which also includes a funfair, 18-hole adventure golf course and cinematic 4D dinosaurs.
But the pier’s owners, Billy and Elliot Ball, say a swingeing tax rise could ruin their family business.
I love a bet. I’m a self-confessed gambler, but not a problem one
Nigel Farage
They already shell out up to £400,000 a year on and have been hammered by last year’s hike.
Director Billy, 44, said: “This proposed tax rise could be catastrophic.
“Almost every seaside pier in the country relies on amusement arcade revenue to make it sustainable.
“You increase the tax on gaming machines and, for many, it’s lights off – we lose these heritage assets.”
Currently, Machine Games Duty is five per cent for slots where the stake is under 20p.
On machines where you can wager up to £5, it is 20 per cent, and for those taking stakes above that, it is 25 per cent.
Clacton Pier has been bringing tourists to the town since 1871Credit: Alamy
Clacton’s fairground attractionsCredit: Alamy
Left-wing think tank the Institute For Public Policy Research has proposed raising the 20 per cent duty to 50 per cent.
Crucially, the levy is paid on total stake money minus winnings, rather than company profit.
And with the legal per-play stake for a £100 jackpot slot machine kept at £1 since 2014, arcade owners have little room to recoup tax hikes.
In Clacton, the Balls employ 230 people at their August peak, and 150 all year round.
Billy added: “Not everything we do is about profit — it’s a labour of love. But it gets to a point where this is not sustainable.”
Joseph Cullis, President of the British Amusement Catering Trade Association, said the proposed 50 per cent tax hike would “wipe the industry out overnight”.
Rather than being kicked in the nuts the whole time, a little bit of help from the Government for the guys that run it might be good
Nigel Farage
Joseph, whose family firm runs arcades in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, added: “We estimate that even a small increase on the 20 per cent rate to 25 per cent would see up to a third of venues close.
“Our industry employs 15,000 people. A lot of livelihoods are under threat — and it’s not just the seaside.
“Pubs and working men’s clubs have gaming machines, too, and they rely on their income to keep going.”
Meanwhile, Farage, in a tweed jacket and maroon trousers, is grinning mischievously after picking up a cascade of two pennies he has won on the coin-pusher machine.
He says: “The pier and its arcade is a big part of what this town is.
“Rather than being kicked in the nuts the whole time, a little bit of help from the Government for the guys that run it might be good.”
And if you’re asking me, ‘Is it right the bookmakers have got me as favourite?’, I think it probably is
Nigel Farage
Punters are also backing The Sun’s against the Chancellor’s proposed tax increase.
Outside Wetherspoon’s on the prom, we chat to care home worker Victor Camilleri, 57, who likes a flutter.
He said: “I’m all for Save Our Bets. We all pay enough tax anyway.” And playing slots on the pier, Graham Williams, 43, added: “I limit myself to a fiver on these machines. It’s just a bit of fun.
“To try and get more tax from slot machines where people bet a few pence is wrong.”
Last week, Jaywick, a neighbourhood in Farage’s constituency, was named Britain’s most deprived area for a fourth year in a row.
“All the markers are slightly better and employment figures are up there,” he tells me.
“But I shudder to think what happens to Clacton without tourism.”
Before he leaves, I ask Farage if he is worth a punt to be the next PM after .
He’s currently the 7-2 favourite with .
“We’ve had an amazing 15 months, a tremendous run,” he tells me with a smile.
“And if you’re asking me, ‘Is it right the bookmakers have got me as favourite?’, I think it probably is.”
