It’s Bingo for another MP
Another MP has pledged to show their support for the bingo industry, with MP Joan Humble visiting a local bingo hall recently in a show of solidarity with the flailing industry.
Mrs Humble, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, was given a tour of Mecca Bingo in Talbot Road by manager Mike Travis, in an effort to get some more political attention for the plight of the land based bingo industry.
The bingo sector is mounting a second wave of campaign efforts in its fight to lobby against an increase in taxation from 15 per cent to 22 per cent, which campaigners say could fatally cripple the already troubled sector.
In the last three years, around 117 bingo halls have closed nationally in the past three years. Two of those have been in Mrs Humble’s constituency, including the Orion Bingo in Cleveleys and Top Ten Barney’s Bingo in Fleetwood, which both closed their doors for the final time this year.
Commenting on the loss of these two smaller clubs to the community, Mrs Humble said “I was saddened by the closures of Barney’s in Fleetwood and the Orion in Cleveleys, and we need to do all we can to protect the remaining clubs.
Mrs Humble said taxation changes were part of a package of measures, including gains and losses, and she wanted to ensure bingo halls were being treated fairly by Westminster, with greater thought given to the effects any legislative or financial regulations would have on the bingo world as a whole.
She added: “I have been lobbied extensively at Westminster on the topic of bingo taxation. I wanted to take the opportunity to hear how the challenges facing the bingo industry are affecting businesses.
“It is important we maintain well-managed bingo clubs like Mecca.
And Mrs Humble echoed the thoughts of many bingo campaigners when she said “Besides being a tourism boost for thousands of visitors, they provide an important social outlet for many local people too.”
When pressed about what further action could be done, Mrs Humble said that “I have written to the Treasury asking them to re-examine the figures they are working on. I want to make sure the package of changes is a fair one.”
There was also a chance, in between taking a guided tour of the club by manager Mike Travis, to talk about the implications of two of land based bingo’s other big threats- the growth of the online bingo sector, and the continued effect of the smoking ban on dwindling levels of customers at many bingo halls up and down the UK.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Travis thought of the visit as bittersweet, saying “It has been sad to see the decline of bingo clubs in the local area. But I appreciated Joan coming to see the site – she is always welcome.”
And for many in the bingo world, the increasing position of bingo in the public consciousness can only be a good thing, despite it being for all the wrong reasons. Let’s hope something can be done to reverse the fate of the bingo industry – before it is too late.