Spending may be a dirty word in Westminster right now, but across Britain’s leisure industry it seems the big players are recognising that regardless of the dreaded downturn, you still need to invest to gain an edge on the competition.

This issue alone, our news pages report on a new pub system developed by Gamestec and Astra; a big win for Sceptre Leisure; Praesepe’s creation of a high-street bingo concept; and Project’s pledge to protect its R&D budget.