Betting Shops in City Centre

Taking visiting European friends to see the sights of the city, I was absolutely amazed with the number of betting shops in the city centre.
In The Burges, I counted 3 in the one street, 1 in Broadgate, 1 in Hertford street, and 1 in Bull Yard and my visiting friends made the comment was Coventry a gambling city and to be honest, it was difficult to put forward a reply.
Can any members give me an explanation on this as I am beginning to think that betting shops are picking up empty shops for a peppercorn rent and the council/owners are bending over backwards to obtain income from this source ???

Taking visiting European friends to see the sights of the city, I was absolutely amazed with the number of betting shops in the city centre.
In The Burges, I counted 3 in the one street, 1 in Broadgate, 1 in Hertford street, and 1 in Bull Yard and my visiting friends made the comment was Coventry a gambling city and to be honest, it was difficult to put forward a reply.
Can any members give me an explanation on this as I am beginning to think that betting shops are picking up empty shops for a peppercorn rent and the council/owners are bending over backwards to obtain income from this source ???

I've noticed it too. Betting shops and pawnbrokers seem to be a growth industry in the city centre, (along with my beloved £pound shops of course) ... a sign of the (economic) times?
Perhaps the council/owners offer them cheap rent for a year?

We have a nice parade of shops just opened very close to where I live - some of the shops are still empty - but there's a betting shop there
After reading that news report, I'm sure this is common practice all around the country