The Bingo Association is dismayed and angered to learn of the changes to the amount of Levy that licensed bingo premises are required to pay as part of the statutory levy, announced earlier today. This is a doubling of the amount indicated in the White Paper proposals announced by the previous government and the amount the industry was contributing under the voluntary scheme.
This change will impact Bingo clubs by an additional £600k a year, coming on top of the recently announced measures in the budget which will cost around £12m.
Bingo Clubs are a safe space and a community facility enjoyed by 350,000 people a week. This measure threatens the favourite pastime of a demographic the current Government claims to champion and represent.
It is therefore hard to understand why the Government would target such a low risk sector of the gambling industry. Industry profits are modest, most operators work from a high fixed cost base and small profit margins.
The Bingo Association have spent years providing evidence and data to DCMS believing they had arrived at a position that was fair and proportionate, only to find this overturned at the last minute for reasons impossible to comprehend. It calls in to question the value of any consultation process and the benefit of a sponsoring department in ensuring honest and transparent engagement.
We fear for the future of licensed bingo clubs and their 7,000 employees; it is becoming increasingly difficult to see a future for this great industry in the current environment.
