Britain Relaxes Rules On Bingo Club Fruit Machines
Britain has announced plans to relax limits on the number of fruit machines allowed in bingo halls to reverse the increasing trend of closures within the industry.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has proposed that the maximum number of £500 jackpot slot machines allowed in bingo halls be raised to from four to eight.
New gambling laws introduced in 2007 hit the land-based bingo clubs hard by forcing the removal of the highly profitable slot machines, just as the smoking ban led to a sharp decline in attendances.
"Bingo clubs play a crucial role in many communities and we want to see that continue," Sutcliff said in a statement to the House of commons. "For some people bingo is their main leisure pursuit. It is therefore of great concern that nearly a hundred bingo clubs have closed in the last four years."
The Minister hopes to implement the plans by the end of the year.
The decision was welcomed by Paul Tallboys, Chief Executive of the Bingo Association, who said the bingo industry will "breathe a huge sigh of relief".
198words - Posted 30/06/2008 14:57:36
