BA Web - BL Is 76 Jan 2007

BINGO LINK
The only magazine produced for the UK Bingo Industry
Issue 76 January 2007
Smoking ban
Legislation
Bingo for Breakthrough
D-day in England and Wales
Gambling Act latest
2006 – more pink than ever!
Have they
got a show
for you!
ow in its 63rd year, ATEI
is one of the leading
international exhibitions
for the gaming, gambling and
amusement industries,
attracting more than 24,000
visitors from all over the world.
Last year, 24,913 people from 28
different countries attended.
From 23 – 25 January, the
show takes up residence at its
usual London home, Earls Court,
and runs alongside its sister
show – ICE (International
Casino Exhibition).
Spread over two floors, this
year’s show has a total of 234
exhibitors, 49 of which are new,
including Ace Coin Entertainment
(UK), AMG Leisure (UK), Amuse
Tech (UK), Arcada (UK), Attorn BV
(Netherlands), Billars Sam (Spain),
Champion Shuffleboard (USA),
Chiang Tang Entertainement
(Taiwan), Cogan (Italy), Craft Data
(UK), Cutting Edge Industries
(USA), DP Leisure (UK),
N
Esther Rantzen, winner Brett and his fiancée Maxine
Caller of the Year 2006
ingo supporters travelled to London from all
over the UK to cheer on their favourites in
the National Bingo Caller of the Year final
and packed the club, with latecomers being turned
away disappointed.
The 13th National Bingo Caller of the Year final took
place on Sunday 27 November, at the Gala Club in
Surrey Quays, south east London and what an
incredible day it was!
In a fun-packed day, the regional finalists each did
their stuff for the audience and judges before Brett
Hyrjak, representing the South, was made National
Bingo Caller of the Year 2006.
The club’s general manager, Aslam Mussa, and his
assistant manager Colin Bell – who was once a
regional finalist in the competition – plus all the staff at
B
Surrey Quays, helped to ensure the day was a great
success and made everyone really welcome. The club
also provided a superb free lunch, free bubbly and
cabaret by Double Impact.
TV personality Esther Rantzen was this year’s
celebrity host and she gave each of the contestants a
great introduction as she called them on stage to
demonstrate their showmanship, chatting to each in
turn and on occasion teasing them about their CV.
Chris McHenry’s supporters travelled from the
Buckingham Club in Middleton to cheer him on.
Their coach was held up for a while, but they made it
through in time to see him take the stage and wow
the audience with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s
Summer Wind.
continued on page 4
continued on page 3
news
✍
Diary
Dates
The National Game
Quarterly news and update from Chief Executive Paul Talboys
Happy New Year. I hope that the Christmas
excesses haven t left you too exhausted.
2006 came to a close with a bang by
way of our Christmas special game, which
last year took place on a Friday and made use
of the BIG number mechanic.
Thank you to all those
who took part and
promoted and supported
the game.
Our next special game will
be played on Mothers Day
(18 March 2007).
2007 is set to be one of
the most challenging years
the industry has faced, with
dates for the smoking ban in
England and Wales now
confirmed as 1 July and 2
April respectively.
Having seen very clearly
the impact similar legislation
has had in Scotland,
operators in England and
Wales have a good idea of
what lies ahead.
The industry is fighting hard, through The
Bingo Association and direct action, to make
MPs and the Treasury aware of the severity of
the situation it is facing.
The NBGA is committed to working with the
industry to explore new opportunities and has
made a commitment to develop new software
that will enable the industry,
both at individual club level
and nationally, to take
advantage of the freedoms under the new
Act, which is now less than a year away.
In addition, the NBGA has also entered into
a joint venture partnership
with a leading online bingo
provider to initially provide
an exclusive network, which
will enable operators to
easily and in relative safety
enter the online bingo
market and to then
explore further
development of online
activity that would benefit
all NBGA members.
The creation of the
network has been a
self-funding activity with
only longer term online
software development
requiring initial funding.
As online bingo becomes
increasingly important as a
channel of delivery for the bingo industry,
which faces a number of challenges and
competitors, it is important that the benefits
of existing relationships, established through
land-based business, be maximized and
where possible are transferred to the
online environment.
National Bingo Game: key statistics
Total prize money since the game began
Total prize money played for in 2006 until 31 October
18 March
£500,000 Mother s Day
National Bingo Game
2 April
Smoking ban
introduced in Wales
1 July
Smoking ban
introduced in England
Please remember to
notify us of your
events so we can
include them here.
Email us at
[email protected]
The third quarter of an average year can be very quiet for media
coverage, as it covers the key summer months of July and August when
noteworthy events tend to be rather thin on the ground.
However, 2006 has proven to be the exception with the third
quarter delivering nearly as much coverage as the previous six months
put together.
The NBGA has found increasing media interest in the annual press
release on lucky towns and this has given a good showing across
regional media. Pre-event announcements for the Caller of the Year 2006
regional finals also gave a good lift for September.
1,069,458
888,664
Biggest game to date for 2006
Thursday 26 January with ticket sales of
6-8 March
Bingo World
South Point Hotel,
Las Vegas, USA
www.bingoexpo.com
Bingo in the media
£925,123,274
£48,228,400
Biggest games for 2005
Saturday 23 April with ticket sales of
Tuesday 14 June with ticket sales of
23-25 January 2007
ATEI/ICE
Earls Court 1,
Exhibition Centre,
London
www.atei-exhibition.com
£896,752
BINGO LINK is published by The Bingo Association, Lexham
Number of press hits by month
House, 75 High Street North, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 1JF.
Tel: 01582 860921. Fax: 01582 860925.
Email: [email protected]
Editor: Steve Baldwin
July
Consumer magazines
Electronic media
National press
Regional press
TOTAL
Quarter 2 total: 602
Produced by Associa Ltd, North Gate, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9PL.
Tel: 01572 824600. Email: (editorial) [email protected]
Email: (advertising) Sally Wilkinson: [email protected]
Tel: 01427 668662.
1
20
13
137
171
August
September
2
5
25
75
15
20
146
143
188
243
Year to date: 1,289
In terms of regions contributing most to coverage achieved, nationally available media
outstripped all regions in all three months. This is due, in part, to the increased use of online
media for news-based information.
Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without the permission of the publishers.
Views expressed are not necessarily those of The Bingo Association or Associa Ltd. Prices
and information correct at date of publication but subject to change.
2
news
Operators get chance to see
£35/50p machines at ATEI 2007
continued from page 1
GEI Games (Italy), Game Concepts
(UK), International Games Trade
(Italy), Jaybox (UK),
Kalkomat-Witold (Poland), Kiosk
Europe (UK), Krishna Beads
Industries (India), Kriss Sport
(Poland), L’Automatico (Italy),
Mediatheme (UK), Nexcom (UK),
Nexio (Korea) and Edward
Thompson, which is making a
return to the show with a
new look.
Other exhibitors include
Coincheck Electronics Ltd,
Cotsowold Micro Systems (CMS)
Ltd, Cowells Arrow, Edward
Thompson Group, Sydicate UK
Ltd, AMG Leisure, Barcrest Group,
Clarion ATE, Crown Direct Ltd,
Deith Group, Electrocoin
Automatics Ltd, Empire Games
Ltd, Fatspanner Ltd, Just
Everything Ltd, MDM Leisure Ltd,
Bell Fruit Games, Astra Games.
The show will give operators the
chance to see first hand the new
£35/50p machines that will be on
display from all the UK’s AWP
manufacturers. Organisers predict
more than 100 different models
based on the new stakes and
prizes will be on display and it is a
great opportunity to review them
before the roll-out in March/April.
For more information or to
register, visit
www.atei-exhibition.com
ENJOY THE SHOW.
NB: Floor plan and exhibitor list correct at time of going to press but subject to
further changes by show organisers in the run-up to the show.
3
feature
A full house at Caller of
continued from page 1
Having fun was the order of the
day and the party atmosphere in
the club was infectious. The
Midlands contestant, Barbara
Miller, from the Mecca club in
Gloucester, soon had her
supporters on their feet dancing
to the sound of cabaret act
Double Impact.
Alan Kerr, the Scottish
contestant from Edinburgh,
enlisted his management team to
support him – he’s seen in our
photos with two fo them, Gary
Duncanson and Gordon Barr.
General manager George
Matthews, who also made the
long trip, must have been a bit
camera shy!
Gary Wilson, from Gala in Hull,
had nearly 100 fans make the trip
down to London. They travelled
down on the Saturday to make a
great bingo weekend of it. Gary’s
self proclaimed number one fan,
Rose Rastrick, made the trip and
let her hero worship go straight to
her head, with her choice of outfit.
Despite being born in Wales,
Mike Broad told Esther that he
couldn’t sing, but he made up for
it with some great stand-up
comedy during his showmanship
spot and the crowd loved it.
Brett Hyrjak, the regional finalist
for the South, charmed the
audience with his rendition of Miss
Jones and wowed the judges to
take the title.
Brett will soon be jetting off with
his fianceé Maxine, to take in the
sights of Los Angeles and Las
Vegas, as part of his prize, in
addition to training in order to fill
his role as industry ambassador
for the next year. Well done to him
and the other finalists.
Gary with his fans
Gary's biggest
fan, Rose Restrick
The regional champions
Many congratulations to all the regional finalists who championed the
art of bingo calling so well throughout the compeition and thanks to
everyone who took part this year.
Esther Rantzen
Scotland
North West
Alan Kerr
Chris McHenry
North East
Midlands
Wales
Gary Wilson
Barbara Miller
Mike Broad
Gala, Edinburgh
Buckingham, Middleton,
Manchester
Gala, Hull
Mecca, Gloucester
Castle Leisure, Bridgend
To see more pictures of the day, visit the National Game’s website on
www.nationalgame.co.uk
4
feature
the Year
Surrey Quays staff with Esther
Barbara and fans having a good time
Chris with his fans
Alan with
his managers
Mike with fans from Wales
5
feature
Bingo for Breakthrough 2006
by Lucy Anderson, Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Sunderland Gala get into the spirit of the event
e would like to say a
massive thank you to
everyone who
contributed to this year’s
Bingo for Breakthrough. The
week was a great success and
we hope you all enjoyed taking part!
We heard about all sorts of crazy antics, including staff
shows and skydives, sponsored silences, rowing, running and
walking, fancy dress collections and sales of charity tea
towels, CDs and even naked calendars. And, of course,
games of bingo to win Blossom the Bingo Bunny!
Thank you all for putting so much energy into making the
week such a success. At the time of writing we are still
waiting for the last few clubs to bank their funds, so that we
can name 2006’s top fundraisers.
A new event for 2006 was Dab-a-doodle, where
celebrities were asked to make a doodle using bingo
dabbers and the results were auctioned on eBay during
Bingo for Breakthrough week.
It was a great success, with 43 celebrities, including TV
presenters, Big Brother contestants, pop stars, actors and
artists taking part. The most in demand doodles were those
created by photographer David Bailey (shown below), raising
£156 after 31 bids and a further £143 for his second. Thank
you to all those who bid and to
the celebrities for taking part.
We are already collecting
doodles for next year’s event,
with Esther Rantzen being
the first. If you have any
celebrities attending your
club and think they might be
prepared to do a doodle, let
us know and we will send
packs to you.
We will contact our
champion fundraising
clubs directly and publish
details of the winners and
the amount raised in
2006, in the next issue
of Bingo Link. Again,
many thanks to you all.
W
Liverpool Croxteth Gala look ready for bed
Dashing in pink for charity
wo bingo bosses
made a 10-hour,
500-mile dash by
car round the north of
England, calling a game of
bingo in 11 different
clubs, to raise £1,237.65
for Breakthrough
Breast Cancer.
Gill Lonsdale, deputy
manager of the Top Ten
Bingo club in Stanley, and Thomas McNally,
assistant manager at Top Ten Southwick, undertook
the mammoth task on 27 October, at the end of a
week of fundraising for the charity.
Gill, 36, and 27-year-old Thomas were dressed from head to toe in pink as
they hurtled around the country. They started by calling a game of bingo for
members at the Top Ten Club in Billingham at 11.15am and then drove via sister
clubs in Durham, Gateshead, Southwick, Silksworth, Darlington, Spennymoor,
Bolden, arriving at their own club in Stanley for the final lunchtime
game at 3.25pm.
They then sped across the country to the west coast, reaching
Fleetwood at 6.15pm and Barrow-in-Furness, their final port of call, at
8.30pm. The pair, who were filmed by Tyne-Tees TV and photographed
by the Northern Echo newspaper, finally made it home by 1am the
following morning.
Gill, who came up with the idea, said: ‘One of my favourite customers,
Denise Allerston, is having chemotherapy for breast cancer and so many of
my friends have lost husbands to other forms of cancer. It’s such a terrible
illness, I just felt we had to do something different to raise as much as
possible.’
Denise joined Gill and Thomas at the first three clubs to help promote
Breakthrough. Also helping with Top Ten Stanley’s fundraising efforts were two
other members of staff, Thomas Daglish, who suffered the agonies of having
his back waxed, and Paul McCamley, whose hair and beard were half shaved
off by local hairdresser Marcia Frost. She then dyed the remainder pink!
T
6
news
New designs from
Coincheck at ATEI
C
oincheck has been
renowned within the
bingo industry for its
high quality equipment and
first class installations for
more than 25 years.
Now that wealth of
experience with the latest
developments in materials
and electronics has been
used to develop some
groundbreaking designs that
will benefit large operators,
independent clubs and
arcade prize bingo alike.
New products include the
revolutionary Eclipse pod,
the stylish Aurora Caller’s unit,
the industry-leading System C
equipment, or ECM electronics,
and Coincheck says there is
certain to be a product that is
right for your club .
The company has undergone
some exciting changes to
allow it to focus on
understanding and meeting
the changing needs of the
bingo industry.
A new management
team has gathered extensive
customer feedback to
enable it to offer a range of
solutions geared to today’s
clubs. A renewed focus on
customer service and aftersales support means that
there has never been a better
time to work with Coincheck.
Coincheck is at ATEI at
stand 1869 and invites you
along to meet the new
management team.
Contact Coincheck on
01482 863711.
7
feature
Time for a spring clean?
ow that the Christmas rush is over,
Bingo Link asked Simon Kemp, of
computer and membership services
company Q Services, what an operator
should be planning for a spring clean ready
for the next 12 months?
Sometimes it’s worth spending a few
minutes to ask yourself What if… to see
what might happen. Taking a fresh look at
your situation and building a plan, or reviewing
your existing one, is time well spent – there
could be gold to be found in your spring clean!
It is not just about selecting a value PC or
using Excel in a new way: it’s about
designing the plan and working it through.
The following questions could help you
shape that plan.
We have seen clubs where they use a
membership system but don’t ensure all
members swipe on entry. Consequently, their
visit statistics don’t stack up and the system
isn’t useful.
● Do you print vouchers and personalise them?
● Encourage poor attendees to come again?
● Reward those who come a lot?
Stamper cards have quality problems with
false stamps, unknown and untraceable
redemptions.
N
What is your marketing strategy and
what are your sales forecasts?
● What is the plan for 2007 and 2008 – year,
quarter, month, week, day?
● How will you monitor your achievements and
progress towards the goals?
● Can you send a message to your membership
– what ways are available and easy for you?
Letter, mobile phone text, telephone call?
● Are you prepared for the smoking ban? Do
you know who your smokers are and what
they’ll do in between sessions? If you lose
customers after the ban, will you know who
has stopped coming so that you
can get them back?
● What value does each extra customer bring?
● Have you tried internet competitions so that
you can harvest more names
and addresses?
● How can you work smarter
not harder? Is your thinking joined-up?
● Can you make more use of systems? They
should be labour efficient, and be capable of
processing large volumes of data.
If you haven’t got a membership
system
● Do you really need one?
Do you track redemptions of any
vouchers?
● Can the sales and marketing plan be
achieved manually?
● Do you know who your regular
customers are?
If you don’t know what a good customer
looks like, how do you find more of the same?
● What can it give you and how does it help?
Now is the perfect time to think about a
membership system. Read the following section
to see why.
If you have got a membership system
● Do you know what you want it to do and
does it do it?
● What history do you have?
Can you compare visits month on month,
year on year?
● How clean is your existing data?
Duplicates cost you money in wasted
promotions; typos and inconsistent data entry
make it difficult to spot dupes. How do you
handle gone aways? Can you show the
Mailing Preference Service (MPS) against your
address? Address look-up software can save
time on data entry and improve quality and
consistency when loading new members.
● Do all your customers swipe
on entry?
● Can you attract potential members
in postcodes around you and would
you like to?
● Contact members who live around bus routes
that you provide so that they don’t have to
worry about parking.
● How will you prepare for future and
special events (eg Easter) and let all the
members know?
● Can you personalise your
mailings with minimum effort?
● Would you like to print instant vouchers when
members swipe on entry?
● Would you like to save time by printing
temporary member cards?
● Why not record winners and mail to them for
‘winners only’ sessions or special deals?
● Would you like to run daily or weekly mailings
to small sections of the membership?
● Would this take too much of your time or
require investment in printers and space?
2007 will be a challenging year and ensuring
that your membership system and data is
accurate and functioning properly will be a
key asset in undertaking tactical local
marketing activity with both existing, lapsed
and new players.
Simon Kemp can be contacted at Q Services
on 01604 250333 or visit
www.qservices.co.uk
The future is smoke free – but will it be bright?
he government has finally announced when England
will become smoke free, ending much speculation
and naming 1 July 2007 as D-day, three months after
Wales where the ban comes into effect on 2 April.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt making the announcement on
1 December, stated that it ‘is a triumph for public health and a
huge step forward’, sentiments that most of the British public
would echo.
Hewitt also thanked business groups and the leisure and
hospitality industries for their support in helping make the
legislation a reality and added that going smoke free has
been good for business, citing Ireland, Scotland and New York
as examples.
It is on this last point that perhaps not so many would agree,
for in every country where smoking bans have been
implemented there
T
have been repercussions for businesses and not
all of them immediately positive.
Here in the UK, policy groups need look
no further than Scotland to see very clearly
how such legislation can instigate adverse
change almost overnight.
The ban on smoking in public places
came into effect in Scotland on Sunday
26 March 2006 and within less than six
months Scottish bingo operators were
seeing decreases in turnover of between
14 and 27 per cent. This drastic and sudden
decrease in addition to a heavy tax burden has
created some of the most difficult trading
conditions the industry has ever seen. The effects of a
ban in England and Wales will be amplified.
8
news
Mecca Bingo invests in employees as
nine gain management certificates
layers are not the only
ones to be instructed
‘eyes down, look in’ at
Mecca, as employees across
the company have been urged
to keep their eyes firmly
focused on textbooks, as they
study for a post-graduate
Certificate in Management.
The nationally recognised
qualification, accredited by the
University of Northampton, aims to
develop general management and
business skills and is part of Rank
Group Gaming Division’s
commitment to staff development.
Sue Waldock, HR director for
Rank Group Gaming Division, said:
‘We invest a lot of time and money
in training to ensure that our
employees are equipped to
provide the very best possible
leisure experience for our
customers. We are industry
leaders in this field and we believe
that the number of highly qualified
P
people in our business is
testimony to how professional we
are at every level.’
Nine employees took part in the
Certificate in Management, seven
from Mecca clubs across the
country, a member of head office
staff and one candidate from
Mecca’s sister company,
Grosvenor Casinos.
It was a close call but Leonard
Stumke, general manager at
Mecca Sittingbourne, was
awarded the Student of the Year
title. Leonard’s course success
was testimony to his success in
the workplace – the 44-year-old,
who joined Mecca Sittingbourne in
January 2004, quickly advanced
to management, being put in
charge of his own club. He was
an outstanding candidate on the
course, impressing tutors with his
direct approach to the
programme and demonstrating the
positive effects his assignments
Marketing director Miles Baron
presents Leonard Stumke with his
Student of the Year award
had on the workplace.
A close contender for the award
was Mo Khan, the only candidate
from Mecca’s head office. Mo has
worked at Rank for more than 12
years and is a technical project
leader in the group’s IT
department. Mo’s success on the
course demonstrated how
participation could be beneficial to
employees from all sectors.
All the students’ hard work and
success was recognised on 8
November at a prestigious
graduation ceremony held at The
10
Welcombe Hotel in Stratford. In
addition to their certificates,
everyone was awarded a
Waterman pen, with Leonard
Stumke also receiving a Student of
the Year trophy and a bottle of
champagne. Mo Khan received an
award for special effort in
recognition of her hard work and
contribution to the course.
Simon Wykes, managing
director of Mecca Bingo, said:
‘We believe that Mecca Bingo’s
success in the future will be
delivered through our people and
so we are committed to offering
our people the opportunity to
develop themselves. I am
obviously delighted that we have
had so many people graduate
with a certificate in management.
It’s a course that we remain
fully supportive of and envisage
allowing many more people
the opportunity to complete in
the future.’
news
UK betting and gaming industry
– looking at the whole picture
ey Note, leading publisher of industry and sector reports,
published the latest version of its report into the UK betting
and gaming market late last year.
The 123-page report reviews all aspects of the market, including
definition, consumer data, industry background, competitor analysis,
SWOT, current issues, global market, online and forecasts.
Much of the report focuses on the larger operators in each sector but
it also provides a very thorough view of the industry overall and
acknowledges the impact of the US decision regarding online gaming
and the Wire Act.
The report highlights that while household spending on betting and
gaming before 2004 saw double digit year-on-year growth, from 2004 to
2005 the figure was almost unchanged. In light of general consumer
issues around debt this will not surprise many. While the report
provides a substantial amount of information, much of it will already be
known by those operating in the industry and as such is primarily of
value only to those looking to expand into a different gaming sector,
or to those not currently involved.
Detail of the bingo industry is quite scant, with only a few lines in each
section. Gala, Mecca (as part of Rank), Top Ten, Bourne Leisure and
Carlton are all name checked.
In providing a sector SWOT, key strengths stated include acceptability
of gambling as a leisure pursuit, integrity and expertise of the
UK industry and investment in retail betting outlets, making visits
more enjoyable. Weaknesses were few and included the transition
from the old to new legislation and the belief by some that all
gambling is immoral.
Opportunities cited included the Gambling Bill, the 2012 Olympics,
remote gambling, casinos being able to advertise and the potential
for the lottery to engage with more players by offering a flatter
prize structure. Interestingly, the threats section is the longest;
addiction and concern for addicts following deregulation,
competition for bookmakers, FOBTs being classified as gambling
machines, possible legislative restrictions for remote gambling across
boarders and last, but by no means least, the smoking ban in England
and Wales.
A full copy of the report can be bought from Key Notes. Tel: 020 8481
8750, visit www.keynote.co.uk or email [email protected]
K
Gala Feltham hit by G4!
layers at Gala Feltham were hit by G4 who launched their
new album Act Three at the club.
The group performed to a rapturous reception at the sell-out
event, giving a striking interpretation of Freddie Mercury’s Somebody To
Love and the Boomtown Rats’ anthem I Don’t Like Mondays, plus a
haunting acapella version of Amazing Grace. After their performance
Mike, Jon, Ben and Matt decided to try their luck at bingo and joined
regulars for a few games.
Two years ago Jon Ansell, Matt Stiff, Mike Christie and Ben Thapa
were four classically trained hopefuls with their sights set high. Now,
with more than one million albums sold in the past year, they are one of
the music industry’s most distinctive and accomplished new acts.
G4, who trained at the Guildhall School of Music, met as a busking
group in London. At TV show The X-Factor they wowed audiences and
the rest is history. Their hugely successful debut album G4 debuted at
Number 1 on the UK album charts and has since been certified triple
platinum with sales in excess of 600,000.
If the response from the crowd was anything to go by G4 are set for
considerable
success, as they
clearly made many
new fans and bingo
may have gained a
couple of new
regulars, judging
from certain band
members’
responses.
P
Far right: Jon hopes
to get a full house
Right: G4 salute their
Feltham fans
11
news
Legislation
update
he new Gambling Act
draws ever closer and is
now only nine months
away. As can be seen from the
table there have been a
substantial number of
consultations submitted and a
significant number are yet to be
issued/responded to.
The work involved in responding
to these documents is pivotal in
helping to influence and shape the
detail of the new Act, which will
impact on all operators.
T
For further information,
visit the Bingo Association
website at www.bingoassociation.co.uk
CONSULTATIONS ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION
ORIGIN
G.C.
G.C.
C.A.P.
PEOPLE 1st
DCMS
DoH
W. Ass.
DCMS
D.C.A.
DCMS
G.C.
G.C.
DCMS
DCMS
G.C.
DCMS
DCMS
G.C.
DCMS
DCMS
S.E.
G.C.
DCMS
DCMS
ITEM
Technical Standards for Gaming Machines
Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement
Regulation of Non-Broadcast and Broadcast Advertising
National Occupational Standards for the Gambling Industry
Gambling (Categories of Casino) Regulations
Smoke-Free Premises and Vehicles – Proposed Regulations
Smoke-Free Premises etc. (Wales) Regulations
Gambling Commission Fees
Gambling Appeals Tribunal Draft Rules 2006
Gambling (Categories of Gaming Machines) Regulations
Supplement to Gaming Machine Technical Standards
Prize Competitions and Free Draws
Personal Licensing
Gambling (Premises Licences: Mandatory and Default Conditions) Regulations
Financial Conditions on Gambling Operators and Personal Licence Holders
Premises Licences Regulations
Premises Licences Hearings Regulations
Gaming Machine C.of P. re Club Gaming Permits etc.
Responsible Authority for Vulnerable Persons
Premises Licence (Inspection ) Regulations 2006
Premises Licences: Mandatory and Default Conditions ( Scotland ) Regulations
Information Exchange between Gambling Commission and Licensing Authorities
Prize Gaming Permit Regulations
FEC Gaming Machine Permit Regulations
Chris’ Countdown
hris McHenry, main stage
caller from the Buckingham
Bingo club, in Middleton,
Manchester and North West
Regional Champion in the National
Bingo Caller of the Year 2006, has
been showing off his way with
words and numbers on Channel
4’s mind-taxing quiz Countdown.
Chris had been accepted to
appear on the programme next year,
but the producers rang to say they
had a cancellation and could he get
to them quickly to take over the
challenger’s spot in the contest?
Chris was there in a flash and not
only won that
day’s heat but went on to win eight
games on the trot – which earned him a
place in the programme’s
quarter finals.
Chris has always been fond of
games such as scrabble and
crosswords, so he just lapped up the
R I PE
countdown conundrums.
CLANG
RIC
Presenter Carol Vorderman is a big
E
L
C
N
DE
bingo fan and she and Des Lynam
O
R
D
E
made bingo and the National Bingo
MEETP
Caller of the Year contest quite a
s
talking point across a number of the
See answer
shows, encouraging the audience
opposite
to give bingo a go.
C
What do you
?
make of these
12
news
REVELANT
STATUTE
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
H.A.2005
H.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
G.A.2005
RESPONSE
DATE
15-Aug-06
22-Aug-06
15-Sep-06
15-Sep-06
27-Sep-06
9-Oct-06
13-Oct-06
13-Oct-06
16-Oct-06
27-Oct-06
27-Oct-06
31-Oct-06
8-Nov-06
10-Nov-06
10-Nov-06
15-Dec-06
15-Dec-06
20-Dec-06
22-Dec-06
22-Dec-06
22-Dec-06
22-Dec-06
26-Jan-07
26-Jan-07
RESPONSE DATE
SUBMITTED
31-Aug-06
21-Aug-06
26-Sep-06 extension agreed
3-Oct-06 extension agreed
No response
11-Oct-06
11-Oct-06
24-Oct-06 extension agreed
17-Oct-06
27-Oct-06
27-Oct-06
31-Oct-06
9-Nov-06
9-Nov-06
9-Nov-06
ABBREVIATIONS
G.C.
DCMS
Gambling Commission
Department for Culture
Media and Sport
C.A.P.
Committee for Advertising Practice
Do
Department of Health
W. Ass.
Welsh Assembly
G.A.2005
Gambling Act 2005
H.A.2005
Health Act 2005
D.C.A.
Department for Constitutional Affairs
S.E.
Scottish Executive
conundrums
Chris counts down to
victory on the popular
Channel 4 quiz – and he
included a few plugs for
bingo too
Answers to Coundown Conundrums
CLANGRIPE = REPLACING
DENCLERIC = ENCIRCLED
MEETPEDRO =
PEDOMETER
13
online
Who’s who in online bingo?
Site
Software
Network
Site
Software
CyberSlotz Bingo.com
Closer Bingo
Daily Record Bingo
Foxy Bingo.com
Handbag Bingo
icBirmingham Bingo
icCoventry Bingo
icLiverpool Bingo
icNewcastle Bingo
icTeesside Bingo
icWales Bingo
Mirror Bingo
Sunday Mail Bingo
The Jack Club Bingo
Get Minted Bingo
abcBingo.co.uk
Banana Bingo
Bingo 4 Her
Bingo Ballroom
Bingo Bongo
Bingo Boudoir
Bingo Calling
Bingo Dome
Bingo Fabulous.com
Bingo Hall
Bingo Ireland
Bingo Time
Bingo-Lottery
Champagne Bingo
Good Lot Bingo
King Solomans Bingo
Kiss My Bingo
Lastminute.com Bingo
Lotto 24 Bingo
Luv 2 Bingo
Million-2-1 Bingo
Prize Bingo
Sports Bingo
Two Fat Ladies
UK-Bingo.net
Loquax Bingo
ksbingo.com
Think Bingo.com
ThinkBingoPlus.com
Bingo Scotland
Jackpot Joy
Bingo Liner.co.uk
BingoBingo UK
Bingo.uk.com
Butlins Bingo.co.uk
Castle Bingo
CheggersBingo.com
Chit Chat Bingo
iVillage Bingo
Littlewoods Bingo
Park Bingo.co.uk
Speed Dater Bingo
Virgin Bingo
Yahoo Bingo
Rehab Bingo
123Bingo UK
BingoTek
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
GlobalCom
Gamesys
LeapFrog
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Parlay
Stand-alone
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
Cashcade Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
GlobalCom Network
Stand-alone
Think Bingo Network
Think Bingo Network
Think Bingo Network
Stand-alone
Stand-alone
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
St Minver
Stand Alone
Stand-alone
Astro Bingo.co.uk
Bingo Palace.co.uk
Thepalaces.com
Bingomania.co.uk
Bingonanza.co.uk
Bingos.co.uk
Big Heart Bingo
Bingo Boogie.co.uk
Bingo Tonic
Furry Bingo
Gardening Bingo (Emap)
MagicFM Bingo (Emap)
Mother and Baby Bingo (Emap)
New Woman Blingo (Emap)
Top Sante Bingo (Emap)
Winzingo
Yours Bingo (Emap)
PaddyPowerBingo
Kiwi Bingo.co.uk
Ruby Bingo.co.uk
Mapaubingo
Blackpool Bingo.co.uk
Gala Bingo.co.uk
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
Stand-alone
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Parlay
TGN (The Gaming Network)
Playtech
Playtech Bingoland Network
Playtech
Playtech Bingoland Network
Playtech
Playtech Bingoland Network
Playtech
Stand-alone
Proprietary Stand-alone
Software
ProWager
BingoRoomNetwork
Systems
ProWager
BingoRoomNetwork
Systems
ProWager
BingoRoomNetwork
Systems
ProWager
BingoRoomNetwork
Systems
ProWager
BingoRoomNetwork
Systems
ProWager
Systems
Stand-alone
QuadCard
Stand-alone
Entertainment
Tombola
Sun/News of the World
Network*
Tombola
Sun/News of the World
Network*
VirtueFusion Crown Bingo Network
VirtueFusion Crown Bingo Network
VirtueFusion Crown Bingo Network
VirtueFusion Mecca Games/Blue Sq
standalone
VirtueFusion Mecca Games/Blue Sq
VirtueFusion Virtue Fusion Network
VirtueFusion Virtue Fusion Network
VirtueFusion Virtue Fusion Network
Bingo Rooms
Bingo Today
Bingo101
Daily Star Bingo
UK Bingo Room
Free Bingo.co.uk
iBingo UK
Sun Bingo
NOTWBingo
Bingo Loopy.co.uk
Crown Bingo.co.uk
Simply Bingo.co.uk
Blue Square Bingo
Mecca Games
Ladbrokes Bingo
Vernons Bingo
virtuefusion.com
Network
Key companies in online bingo
Parlay Group.com
stminver.com
thegamingnetwork.com
playtech.com
chartwellgames.com
bingotek.com
Gamesyscorporate.com
aquagaming.com
Parlay Entertainment
St Minver
The Gaming Network
Playtech
Chartwell Technology Inc
Bingotek
Gamesys
Aqua Gaming
This guide is not a definitive list of bingo sites but aims to show key sites and indicate the software on which they operate. Information is correct to the best of
our knowledge but please notify us of any omissions or errors.
15
news
Online bingo companies stage conference
rominent UK and European online
bingo operators met in London for
the inaugural Online Bingo Europe
conference organised by gaming and
gambling event organiser Bullet Business,
in December.
Phil Fraser, founder of Which Bingo,
opened the event with a keynote presentation
outlining the history, market place and future
projections for the online game.
‘The UK online bingo market has exploded
in the past 18 months and shows no signs of
slowing down any time soon. Europe,
particularly Spain and Scandanivia, seem to
be following suit. 2007 will be
a very interesting year for online bingo,’
he said.
The CEOs of Bingo.com, Bingos.co.uk and
ThinkBingo.com took part in a panel session
chaired by Scott White, CEO of Parlay. They
debated the impact of the UIGEA legislation
in the US and discussed what was needed to
take online bingo to the next level in the
European marketplace.
Commenting on the make up of the sector and player patterns,
Dylan Schlosberg, of ThinkBingo.com, forecasted huge short term
growth of the sector.
‘There are 4,000 people playing online bingo every night in the UK
and we can see that moving to 30,000 in the near future. Like any
business, the winners will be the operators who understand their
customers best,’ he noted.
P
Dominic Mansour,
representing Bingos.co.uk,
talked about the potential that
the popularity of the landbased game provided to the
online market and referred to
some impressive statistics.
‘Land-based bingo
represents around a third of worldwide
wagering on all forms of gambling, while online
bingo currently remains a negligible part of all
online wagering. There is no doubt with a more
liberal legal environment in the UK and
eventually throughout Europe, that online
bingo could have as large a share of the
online gambling business as it does in the
land based.’
Other topics discussed at the conference
included whether going down the network or
the stand-alone route was the best option for
new entrants to the market and best ways to
optimise the success of affiliate marketing.
Speakers from companies including World
Bingo Network, BingoScotland.com, Parlay and St Minver also presented
on and discussed issues including what other marketing channels should
be added to the mix and the importance of developing a real community
to a website’s success. Increasing customer acquisition and retention
remained the main themes from the day and the single biggest
challenge and opportunity for the industry as a whole.
For more information on the event and future conferences on bingo,
visit www.bulletbusiness.com/bingo
New image for Edward
Thompson’s birthday
‘Wizzing’ ahead with
electronic handhelds
dward Thompson is celebrating its 140 years in
business with a new look it will be launching at
this year’s ATEI.
‘A cliché it may be, but ET really does offer the best of
both worlds and what better time to communicate this
than our 140th birthday,’ explained Robert Walker,
business development director.
‘We have all the benefits of an experienced print
solutions provider, with more than 50 of those years in
leisure gaming, and we are now also leading the way in
terms of new electronic media. With more than 70 per
cent of handheld electronic bingo terminals and the
number two online bingo offering, it was time to cast
off any possible perception that we were just a very
good printer.’
The new identity was created by Edward Thompson’s
in-house design, team which has been substantially
strengthened in the past 12 months.
Julian Cound, the creative director, was responsible for
the new image. ‘The challenge was to celebrate the past
and all the knowledge and experience that ET is blessed
with, while also communicating that we have significantly
changed in recent years with the capability to offer new
technologies and solutions that will be vital to the
industry in the near future.’
Edward Thompson hopes the new identity will
illustrate that it is adding all the time to its experience
and knowledge and is a strong partner for leisure and
gaming sector operators.
ala Coral Group and Edward Thompson Group have completed
the first roll-out phase of electronic handheld terminals across
Gala Bingo sites.
The order saw more than 6,500 handheld PET units delivered to 120 sites
across the UK with a second phase already well on the way. Alongside the biggest
handheld rollout in the industry, the two companies have also become the first
to deliver for commercial rollout Mechanised Cash Bingo (MCB) on wireless
handheld terminals.
Gala Coral operations project manager Rob Brown said: ‘During our initial trials
we have been delighted with the response of our members to the Edward
Thompson’s product. Gala members have been readily willing to give the traditional
methods of playing a technology twist. We also found that members felt it was so
easy to play that they chose to purchase more books than they had previously
– having a positive impact on all aspects of the bingo operation!’
Having assessed the alternatives, Gala Coral chose the Edward Thompson
product after considering criteria including robustness, future development
opportunities and player preference.
Gala Bingo, whch also has a range of in-table solutions under the Gala Wizard
umbrella, will be marketing the Edward Thompson product under the name of
Gala Wiz.
Gala Wiz is the first radio-linked handheld to play both main stage and mechanised
cash bingo (MCB) with this new MCB feature now being enabled across Gala sites.
Robert Walker, business development director at Edward Thompson said: ‘We
were, of course, delighted to have been awarded the Gala Coral Group contract for
which I thank the team here at Edward Thompson who worked so hard to make this
possible. Our people are a great asset and the service they provide is one of the
differentiators in our total offering.’
E
G
17
news
Carlton Bingo’s Tony is the real McCoy
booster bonus
layers at
Carlton
Bingo in
Scotland got
bingo with a
bonus, thanks
to the
continuing
partnership
between
Carlton and
the Scottish Executive. The latest activity was
aimed at highlighting issues of winter flu among
the local community.
In November, Carlton players had their eyes down
to play a free game held at each of the company’s 13
venues across Scotland. As well as vital health advice
for all players, each winner picked up £100 worth of
pharmacy gift vouchers.
It is the second consecutive year that Carlton has
played its part in the Scottish Executive’s winter flu
campaign, which aims to encourage people over 65
and people who are at risk to contact their GP
practice for a free flu vaccination. Flu can be very
serious and is the cause of approximately 1,200
deaths per year in Scotland.
The at risk group includes people who have
asthma, diabetes, chronic heart disease, chronic renal
disease, chronic liver disease, or have lowered
immunity due to disease or treatment.
Christine Wright, manager at Carlton Bingo, Fife
Leisure Park, said: ‘Bingo players are no worse than
the rest of the population for catching flu. But over the
cold winter months it’s sometimes like a scene out of
Millionaire for coughing and snuffles, so we’re
delighted to work with the Executive to encourage
more people to look after themselves and go for the
flu injection.
‘It’s a simple procedure that will help many
thousands of people avoid flu this winter. And with the
added bonus of winning £100 in Boots vouchers, it’s
one bingo game not to be sniffed at!’
P
Top entertainer Tony Christie treated
bingo players in Leeds to a special
concert during a visit to the Mecca
Leeds Mayfair.
Comic Relief 2006 brought singing
legend Tony Christie once more firmly
into the limelight and helped ensure
that Amarillo was the place everyone
was singing about.
The song has become a firm
favourite with bingo players
everywhere, ensuring that
entertainers performing in bingo clubs
always give the song an airing, with
considerable audience participation.
In November, bingo players at
Mecca Leeds Mayfair were treated to
the real McCoy when Yorkshire-born
Tony Christie treated bingo lovers to a
special 25-minute performance of
songs taken from his new album
Simply In Love and, of course,
Amarillo.
With a career spanning more than
40 years, the king of retro-cool
released his first single in 1966.
However, it was in 1971 that Tony cracked the UK charts with the single
‘I Did What I Did For Maria’, quickly followed by ‘Is This The Way To Amarillo?’.
Adrian Laurie, general manager at Mecca Leeds Mayfair, said: ‘We were delighted to
have Tony Christie join the bingo revolution and perform at the club. He is a natural
entertainer who appeals to all walks of life and it was an evening not to be missed!’
Competition winners
– Issue 75
The lucky winners of our competition in issue 75 were:
Donna Black, NBGA Game Control.
Cheryl North, Gala Dudley.
Nadine Rees, Mecca Swansea.
Lisa Morgan, Castle Bingo.
Congratulations to all our winners, thank you to
everyone who entered and a big thank you to our
competition sponsors, PMS International.
Ricky’s Royle visit
In recent months Mecca has been honoured by
unprecedented royal patronage! Prince William
started the trend when he visited to play bingo,
and in November star of TV’s The Royle Family,
Ricky Tomlinson, was at Liverpool’s Mecca
Knotty Ash, to launch his new interactive bingo
DVD game Celebrity Bingo.
Bingo fans at the club were treated to
Ricky’s unique style of calling as Jim Royle
took to the mic and in return they gave him
a royal welcome.
Brian Hennigan, general manager at
Mecca Knotty Ash, said: ‘We are delighted
that Ricky was able to perform at the club.
He is a natural entertainer who appeals to
all walks of life. The players definitely enjoyed
his appearance!’
18
news
ECM previews Ingo at Hull club
CM Systems has launched
a technical trial of Ingo,
its new touchscreen
bingo terminal.
Delegates at the Bingo
Association AGM in June last year
saw a preview of a concept model
of the groundbreaking terminal.
Since then the company has been
working to make the concept a
reality. In November the
field-testing phase was launched
at the Mecca club in Hull.
The terminal offers all bingo
games, including National Games,
Links and in-house ticket games.
Uniquely, Ingo offers unlimited
MCB participation too, including
the latest Linked MCB games.
Players use an account, linked to
their ordinary membership
cards, to pay for games. They
can also buy bingo books from
their screens.
Richard Leah, ECM’s project
manager for Ingo, said: ‘The trial
has gone very well. There have
been regular winners on Ingo from
day one, including the Linked
MCB and the National Game.
E
Both staff and players have taken
to the system very well and we’re
working closely with them to
enhance the product with their
valuable feedback and ideas.’
He continued: ‘Ingo appeals to
19
a wide audience and has already
gained a regular following, with
players coming back to play the
units. Ease of play helps people
with disabilities participate on
equal terms and we’ve already
had a number of players choose
Ingo for that reason. Ingo is also
fresh and new, which attracts the
young at heart and technophiles
alike. It challenges the negative
perception that bingo is an old
fashioned game for older players.’
ECM’s product manager Jim
Moss, added: ‘Ingo is the
culmination of more than a year’s
hard work from the R&D and
other teams at ECM. It
represents a best-of-breed
product from the number-one
innovator in the UK industry.
‘I knew that Ingo would be
popular with the players but I’m
genuinely surprised at the speed
with which they are switching from
the paper game. We can’t wait to
get production under way in April!’
For more information, contact
the ECM sales team on
01964 672000.