Irish Bingo halls fear closures

Bingo operators on Tuesday warned that Bingo halls may be forced to shut down if new gambling laws capping prize money lead to a drop-off in footfall.

Legislation being planned to improve gambling laws, due to be put before the Dáil on Wednesday, will place a cap on prize money of 50 per cent of a bingo hall’s takings on a night. This is a sharp decline from current prize rates that range between 75 and 85 per cent.

Emma Lavelle, head of operations at Jack Potts – said the proposed legislation had put the whole industry in “total uncertainty”. Jack Potts is one of the largest bingo operators in Dublin.

Ms Lavelle said that this would lead to the closure of local bingo halls as “there is no way we’d be able to operate in that structure.”

The company operates bingo halls in Cabra, Whitehall, Crumlin and Tallaght. Ms Lavelle said people would cease coming to bingo if the prize rate was reduced to 50 per cent as per the proposed Gaming and Lotteries Bill 2019, currently making its way through the Oireachtas.

She said, “Customers have already told us they won’t be coming at those prices.”

Groups associated with a “Save Our Bingo” campaign are planning to hold a rally on Tuesday outside Leinster House. Ms Lavelle said the staff, approximately 85 of them, who work for Jack Potts were concerned about their positions amid uncertainty over the effects of the proposed changes.

As per a Department of Justice spokesman, Minister of State David Stanton, who holds the responsibility for gambling policy, was in constant contact with bingo operators.

He said, “In the course of preparation of the 2019 Bill, concerns arose with the seemingly minimal amounts returned to the lottery licence-holder, (who must be a charitable or philanthropic cause), by bingo operators acting as agents.”

“This situation has informed the proposed new payment matrix of: a maximum of 50 per cent of the proceeds to prizes, a maximum of 25 per cent to the charity, and a maximum of 25 per cent to expenses incurred in the operation of the lottery.”

“This new payment matrix represents a progressive measure that ensures that charities receive a fair share from bingo operators and is both balanced and sustainable.”

Naomi Reilly, aged 55, said she was 12 when she went to a bingo hall with her mother for the first time and has been a regular player at the north Dublin Whitehall club for 30 years. Her 21-year-old daughter now accompanies her once a week.

A lot of folks who are regular players do not socialise in clubs, “We enjoy our bingo, we enjoy our night out – don’t take that away from us.”