IT lacks the black-tie glamour of the casinos of Monte Carlo or the kitschy-ritz glow of the Las Vegas lights, but the unhappy joke on the Kilburn High Road is that it has almost as many places to dream about striking it rich. 

And as many routes to the poorhouse.

The spread of eight betting offices, as well as four arcades laden with slot machines, has led to a casual nickname which many residents hope will not stick: The bookmakers’ mile.

For on the run from Kilburn Road station, a course up to the Overground at Brondes­bury passes three branches of Ladbrokes, three branches of William Hill, a Coral and the large Paddy Power close to the Tricycle cinema and theatre.

It was this apparent saturation which led Camden Council planners to turn down a request from Paddy Power, which recently merged with the online betting exchange Betfair and is now one of the biggest operators in the country, to open a second branch in a closed down shoe shop at No 64.

Planning officer Nanayaa Ampoma reported that the road was “already well supplied” with betting offices.

But the New Journal has learned that the company has decided it will challenge the refusal and fight for the right to open Kilburn High Road’s ninth betting office.

Their appeal to a planning inspector is being seen as a test, not only for Kilburn where meetings have recently been held with the public to discuss how the area could be rejuvenated, but for the borough as a whole and how well the council can defend its position when it argues that a specific area is saturated by one kind of business.

In other areas, residents have complained that their shopping parades have been undermined by too many estate agencies or coffee shops.

Paddy Power insist that not only is there demand for a new branch on the Kilburn High Road, but also that it is doing a good thing by bringing extra “vitality” to the area by bringing a long-term empty unit back to life.

Critics of the proposals say that argument stretches the point if the new business is a bookmakers.

Moreover, some fear more betting shops means more addiction, more wrecked lives, particularly due to the spread of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) which are otherwise limited to four machines per shop. 

The machines, which offer users the chance to gamble up to £300 every minute on computerised roulette wheels, have been a key moneyspinner for gambling firms as business on sports and racing results has drifted online. The horror stories about punters hypnotically losing tens of thousands of pounds at the terminals have led to well-publicised campaigns to stop the FOBTs, or at least limit losses to £2 a spin.

Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said: “For years locals have been campaigning against the rampant increase in betting shops and mini-casinos in Kilburn. These are not the traditional bookies that you grew up with – they’re full of machines designed to extract the maximum amount of money in the shortest amount of time.”

She added: “In Camden, there are an estimated 72 betting shop licences and over 260 FOBTs. Individuals can lose up to £300 a minute on FOBTs and their addictive nature causes widespread debt and misery. Our high streets are most successful when they offer a vibrant place to shop, eat, and drink with families and friends. Increasingly, they are being blighted by wall-to-wall betting shops, and as a community we must fight to prevent them becoming the place of despair so often associated with gambling and debt.”

One of the biggest fears for those concerned by the rise of gambling outlets in Kilburn is how the losses are being paid for, as the street is also well populated by places to get ready cash at a cost: pawnbrokers and payday lending services. 

Before reaching its decision to refuse permission to Paddy Power, the council received a raft of objections from people living nearby.

“Our high street is already much degraded, and yet another betting shop that sucks the life out of the area and further degrades the little quality we have left is to be deplored,” said one.

“There are already far too many such establishments all along KHR, and it is high time the local councils acted proactively to reverse the rot, or all we will have is gaming outlets, betting shops and no shoppers.”

Another in the postbag added: “Clearly you have not been to Kilburn High Road. The one thing this street does not need is another betting shop. I’ve only lived here for five years but there is a great community. However, there has been an increase in the number of betting shops. Just a stone’s throw from this location are already various betting shop options. They do not help the local economy or community.”

Paddy Power is notorious for courting controversy with its marketing campaigns, including its “chav tranquiliser” advert which saw a hitman take out female visitors to Cheltenham, and for taking wagers on the outcome of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

But it has proved a fierce rival for more established bookmakers, even more so now it has joined forces with Betfair.

Its planning agent said Kilburn High Road could not be said to be saturated with betting shops as such a low percentage of the overall units on the street were bookmakers. The existing Paddy Power was at the other extreme end of the street, which they said was a “nine-minute walk away at average pace”.

A Paddy Power spokesman said: “At a time when many high streets are facing challenges, Paddy Power Betfair’s expanding retail presence adds much-needed vitality and footfall to localities around the country. 

“We invest over £250,000 in each shop we open to create an environment where our customers can have the best entertainment experience on the high street. In addition each new shop provides an average of five jobs for local people.”

On the issue of FOBTs, he added: “We also take seriously our approach to promoting responsible gambling and providing the staff training and customer support necessary to ensure that our customers enjoy their experience betting and gaming with us.”