End of The Line For UK Bingo Halls?
It seems there is no stopping the decline of UK bingo halls as attendances continue to slump and the major operators await the outcome of the government and the Gambling Commission decision over the lucrative £500 slot machines allowed in their clubs. At the current time the limit on £500 slot machines is eight per club. However, both Gala and Mecca (the major UK bingo hall operators) had for months been operating with eight machines or more in most of their clubs through a multiple licences loophole. They are now using new legislative limits to further expand the number of machines in clubs. If the Gambling Commission closes this loophole, which many think is possible then it could threaten the future of many bingo halls throughout the UK and put hundreds if not thousands out of work. The industry has already shrunk sharply during the last few year with Gala has closing 19 clubs since late 2007, leaving it with 155 sites, and Mecca has 102 after 11 closures in the past two years.
UK Bingo operators were furious when the Gambling Act capped the number of big-prize slots at four per club, forcing them to remove thousands of existing machines in September 2007. They told ministers that the regulatory crackdown was heaping pressure on an industry that was already struggling for survival after being knocked by a smoking ban. All major UK bingo hall operators reported a drop in income after the smoking ban was introduced. Last month the number per club was increased to 8 although this is under review..
Mecca, recently confirmed it had 63 additional licences at its 102 existing bingo halls, and had installed more than 1,000 £500 jackpot machines. Gala would not disclose how many jackpot machines it has installed but last summer said it had 72 additional licences at 51 clubs. At one club in Morecambe, Lancashire, Gala has applied for five bingo licences, which would give it an entitlement to install 40 jackpot slots.
Both Gala and Mecca deny they are ignoring guidelines issued by the Gambling Commission on multiple licences. The guidance says: "There is no reason in principle why a single building could not be subject to more than one premises licence provided they are for different parts of the building and the different parts of the building can reasonably be regarded as being different premises. This approach has been taken to allow large multiple unit premises, such as a pleasure park, track or shopping mall, to obtain discrete premises licences, where appropriate.
If the Gambling Commission close this loophole it could threaten the future of many bingo halls and put hundreds out of work. Just a couple of months ago a 4 million pound bingo hall in Preston was closed and 27 jobs axed just two years after it opened. The purpose built £4.1m Buckingham Bingo in New Hall Lane shut for the final time at the end of March. One devastated member of staff, who asked not to be named, said: "They can't afford to keep it on. "We got told at a staff meeting that
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