The primary activity of nightclubs is to provide a safe venue for people to come into the city and enjoy dancing, whether they take drugs or not. Many complaints have been received from young people who are hassled in this environment. The venues attract organised violent crime and the owner may eventually lose control of the actual club; they would be there in all but name. Profits are directed away from the owners to criminals within the establishment.

Sometimes these problems lead to the ultimate closure by the regulatory authorities, and investors may be dissuaded from clubs and even the city itself. The nightclubs in the city of Liverpool have been one of the lynchpins for the economic regeneration of the city. Similarly, this happens in Eastern Europe when people want to invest in the infrastructure but are then scared away by organised crime. This happens on a smaller scale in other cities in England and Wales, yet it results in job losses that have a negative effect on the local economy