Recently I visited the Cwilliam-hill-betheam Village branch of the William Hill betting shop to discuss the gambling industry and responsible gambling.

It is well known that the number of betting shops on our high streets are on the rise, and I am particularly concerned about fixed odds betting machines (FOBTs). I used this opportunity to see how they operated and to discuss my concerns with the shop manager, regional director and public affairs officer.

The Cheam branch manager also told me that the Cheam branch has mainly regular customers with traditional racing bets making up the majority of their business.

They were also kind enough to let me put a charity bet on. I put £25 on Leicester to beat Chelsea, but despite going 2-0 up, they lost. So now I’m reliant on Laura Trott to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year to pay out £175 for my chosen charity.

I want to thank the staff at William Hill for having me and talking to me about responsible gambling.