Too little too late, is the message which is going back to the British Government, which plans to help the UK bingo industry this week with extra payout machines. It is widely expected that the £500 jackpots on Category B3 machines will be doubled.

As long ago as last February, Gerry Sutcliffe, the minister with responsibility for gambling, went on record as promising to help the industry, which was struggling with the smoking ban, a reduction in machines and double taxation. In the 11 months since then, 27 more clubs have closed, reducing the total number of UK bingo clubs in Britain to 590.

Seven months ago the Government said it was considering doubling the permitted number of the £1 stake B3 machines per club from four to eight. The subject was debated yesterday by an all-party committee.

The industry believes that more machines and higher prizes are not enough to revive the industry and protect the 17,000 jobs in bingo. In a circular letter to 200 MPs from operator Rank, chief executive Ian Burke said: "This has been a frustrating year for our industry. The Treasury has closed its eyes to the damaged caused by the continuing discrimination against UK bingo clubs and has refused to engage in any meaningful dialogue." He said that the DCMS - the UK ministry in charge of gambling - had 'dithered' over measures to help the industry. His company runs just over 100 uk bingo clubs.

Operators pay double taxation, both the 15 per cent gaming duty and the new 15 per cent level of VAT. But other forms of gambling, including betting shops and casinos, pay no VAT.

Compiled with the problem that bingo has found a new audience via online bingo sites that may have detracted bingo players away from going to more expensive bingo halls.

Popular online bingo sites like 888 Ladies, Wink Bingo and Foxy Bingo offer free games, big prizes and lively online bingo communities which the UK Bingo clubs just can't compete with.

The landlord of High Wycombe’s empty Woolworths store has said she may turn it into a bingo hall.

Felicity Devonshire, the managing director of Devonshire Investment Holdings, said the 60,000 square foot site would be sub-divided and the first floor would be an ideal bingo hall.

She told the Bucks Free Press: “It could be broken up into two or three units. It’s a big site, about 60,000 square feet including the first floor, and I do not think in the current climate there is much call for spaces that large. The first floor would be a good site for something like a fitness centre or even a bingo hall.”

The landlord is unable to start converting the property until Woolworth’s administrators, Deloitte, hand back the lease on the site.

Although many bingo halls have closed because of the smoking ban and the increase in online bingo site, good sites for bingo halls are still desirable for operators and new bingo halls have been opening on a regular basis in the UK

Gala the company behind the famous Gala Bingo has teamed up with Virtue Fusion and launched an all new online bingo site - Minxy Bingo.

The site, which displays the Minxy Mascot - a white Siamese cat, claims to provide its players with some unique online features via its ultra-modern bingo software.

Surprisingly, the Gala brand name isn't evident on the homepage at Minxy Bingo and this new site operates using completely separate software to the Gala Bingo site.

Minxy Bingo was launched without any publicity and to date has not been the subject of any form of media campaign which seems unusual for Gala.

There are many subsidiaries within the Gala Coral Group but this is the first subsidiary which could be considered in direct competition with one of its existing divisions.

One leading online gaming analyst recently commented:
“There is a major question of why they would spend £5 million a year on their bingo technology when they can outsource the contract to a software provider for a small percentage of their gaming profit.

When they launched they had an outstanding product but now they are pretty much on a level with their rivals and without substantial expenditure they could slip behind.

Gala Coral has an absolute debt mountain to overcome and the last thing they need is a big capital expenditure project on bingo.

I’d say that Minxy Bingo was a test for them to see how the numbers stack up with a rival operator and, if they look good, they will be onto Virtue Fusion software within six to nine months.”
Sadly throughout the course of 2008, Gala Bingo was forced to close down 13 of its land based bingo halls in addition to four high street casinos.

With the UK slipping into recession, the future of the land based UK bingo hall remains uncertain and it is possible that the Gala Coral Group have realised that online bingo is the way forward for their business.

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A woman described herself as ‘gutted’ after she won £5,000 playing bingo at a popular UK Bingo Club - because she thought she had won £250,000.

Louise Payton was playing at the Bilston Mecca Bingo club when she hit what she thought was the regional jackpot. She only learned the following day it was a national jackpot and had been shared between multiple winners at different clubs.
Mrs Payton, 30, who lives at Clare Crescent, Wolverhampton, told the Wolverhampton Express and Star: “The staff told us it was a regional only final and they told me I’d won a lot of money. I was very disappointed to find out I’d won a lot less.”

She said she had already planned a trip to Disneyland with her two young daughters before learning that her win was much lower than she expected.
two young daughters after she called house on the draw on December 21.

But on Monday she received a phone call to say that there were several winners and that she would receive just over £5,000.

Mrs Payton said: “The staff told us it was a regional only final and they told me I’d won a lot of money. I was very disappointed to find out I’d won a lot less.” General manager Natalie Smith, from Mecca Bingo, confirmed Mrs Payton was playing a national game, rather than regional

Still a bet alot of you in the bingo community would be chuffed with five grand right now - I know I would!

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After claiming last year's award, a spokesperson at Think Bingo said: "We are delighted to receive this prestigious award on behalf of our Think Bingo members and chat moderators. It is them that set Think Bingo apart and demonstrate that you don't have to be the biggest to be the best."

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