Posted October 23rd, 2008 by admin
These days land based bingo clubs have to use incentives just as much, if not more so than their online counterparts.
It is for this reason i bring you this update to let you know about Mecca Bingo’s current club promotions.
A Lot For A Little will be played between the 20th and 23rd October where You pay a little, they pay a lot!
Sunday Spook-tacular; Sunday 19th October and Sunday 26th October. Playing on both these days will win you a Cadbury’s bumper tub full of mini chocolates!
So if you fancy a change from the computer screen, why not try out your local Mecca Bingo Club!
Tags: bingo clubs, Bingo Halls, land based bingo, Mecca Bingo
Posted October 20th, 2008 by admin
Reading through the online newspapers today, i came across a story in the Hounslow Chronicle that did not set our land based bingo halls in a very good light.
The article written by Chris Donkin pretty much slags off the whole bingo experience. Such comments as ” I spent my Thursday evening in a brightly lit, yet mostly empty bingo hall, being tutted at by people (largely sat on their own) for talking, laughing and – shockingly – dabbing too loudly.”
He goes on to say that the decline of the bingo hall is apparent with such reasons as the balls called too fast, “tutting from other players if you make a noise and stating it is NOT a fun game to be played with friends.
He says “there’s no fun involved at all, no ‘legs eleven’ complete with a wolf whistle or ‘two fat ladies’. Everyone takes it far too seriously - it’s only a game! There was not a single snigger when the number 6 and 9 – 69 came out. Total silence, the only noise aside from the tutting were the curses when someone won.”
He ends the article by simply stating that “bingo is simply faceless gambling”.
Well thanks for the rave review, im sure that not all bingo clubs are like this, but can see this article putting people off going along to their local hall to try it out.
The whole article can be read at http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/west-london-columnists/citizenchris/2008/10/20/citizen-chris-bingo-is-simply-faceless-gambling-109642-22049630/
Tags: bingo hall news, land based bingo, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted October 7th, 2008 by admin
Where To Play Bingo, is being re-launched today to help promote local bingo halls in the UK online.
The aim of the site is to promote land based bingo halls in the UK to encourage people to give it a try by helping to find their local halls and combine visiting clubs with their on line bingo playing.
In their recent Press Release, Digital Pop (the new owners of the site!) had this to say “Utilising Google Maps, Where To Play Bingo has attempted to list all the bingo halls in the UK and more than 400 are featured on the site. Each bingo hall opperator has their own tag on Google Maps allowing visitors to easily navigate the site and find a bingo hall in their area.”
Bingo halls have been in decline since the smoking ban in July 2007, changes in gambling laws and an unfair tax regime. While Industry analysts predict that between one-fifth and half of the bingo venues will close in the next two years.
Following these factors and the boom of online bingo, support for local bingo halls seemed to be lacking, however, Where to Play Bingo receives over 2000 visitors a month with people looking for information on their local bingo hall.
You can visit the site at www.where-to-play-bingo.co.uk If your local bingo hall is not listed then please - whether you are a player or bingo hall manager - contact info@where-to-play-bingo.co.uk to get your bingo hall added to the site.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Land Based Bingo Halls, Where to play bingo
Posted September 17th, 2008 by admin
News has come through of yet another bingo hall under threat of demolition with plans with plans to replace it with a new development.
The Star Bingo Hall in Crumlin, near Belfast, could be demolished if a planning application for apartments, shops and a medical centre on the site is granted by Dublin City Council.
The club sees 2,500 customers a week coming from miles around as It’s a popular pastime for them. The manager Sandy Coleman says that “Seventy per cent of these women here don’t drink, so this is their outlet.”
Over the years, the Star Bingo Hall has provided the area with many forms of entertainment as the building has been used as a cinema, a skating rink and a bowling alley, and for the past 25 years has been the Star Bingo Hall.
The news of the closure has come as a shock to the thousands of players who regularly attend the club, and have made the following comments;
“It’s very important. People have been coming here for years, especially old people. It’s the only thing some of they have,” says one of the workers. “Many of the women come here just to get out of the house,” she added.
“I’d be lost without it I hope they don’t move it. I’d miss it terrible. I must be coming here 10 years or more.” -Carmel Behan from Tallaght
“You get €150 for a line here whereas down home you only get €15,” -Elizabeth Wickham, who travels up from Newbridge with her friend Deborah at least twice a week.
“I’d be dead and buried if it went,” -Bridget Lynch, who is known as ‘Mrs Bingo’ throughout the hall. “I’ve won the jackpot umpteen times. This is my home. I’d die from loneliness if it went.”
The sites Proposed plans are for a 49 apartment development that would also contain two shops and a medical centre.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, land based bingo
Posted September 15th, 2008 by admin
The Beacon Bingo Hall in Cricklewood has been victim of an electrical fire that has left minor damage to the building.
The fire is believed to have started following an electrical fault causing the fire to break out in the middle of the night. Fire fighters were called to the scene at around 3am on September 13th.
The blaze was said to be confined to the front wall of the building and the metal shutters used on the doors.
The bingo hall is due to open again as soon as Monday, causing little affect to the bingo players.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted September 12th, 2008 by admin
An old bingo hall in Luckwell Road, Bedminster that has been used as a children’s play centre is back up for rent again.
This has come following news that the city council took the previous tenants, ABC Zoo Ltd, to court amiss fears of them being in breach of health and safety laws and were later charged with this offense.
The former bingo hall has been standing empty for several months, however, the building already has planning permission to be used for any leisure purposes.
This is just another in a long line of bingo halls that has closed its doors over the past few years which still begs the question- Is the closure of our land based bingo halls ever going to stop?
Tags: Bingo Hall Closures, bingo halls news, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted September 10th, 2008 by admin
A security guard has been shot in a robbery at the Gala Bingo club in Walsgrave, Coventry.
The 25-year old was shot in the leg when four masked men raided the club at 10.45pm on Sunday night. The men burst into the club at closing time armed with a gun in an attempt to steal the days takings. The security guard was shot before the men fleed the scene empty-handed.
The victim is today in a stable condition in hospital.
Detective Inspector Nigel Harrison, of Stoney Stanton Road police station, said: “This was an extremely serious incident. Fortunately the victim will make a full recovery.”
A spokesman for Gala Bingo said: “We can confirm there was a shooting at our Coventry Walsgrave branch on Sunday evening, and we are working with the police on their investigation. Our main concern is for the security guard and our thoughts are with him. Luckily there were no customers in the club. We have very good security systems in place and everything is on CCTV, so we will do anything we can to help the police.”
Tags: bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, land based bingo, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted September 8th, 2008 by admin
A Leisure Club in Wolverhampton, that has been hosting bingo games for elderly locals for over 16 years, has been broken into four times in less than a week. The most recent break-in the thieves stole audio and amp equipment as well as beer and spirits from the bar.
The players enjoyed a weekly session of bingo at the community hall and are especially disappointed because the club is becoming increasingly likely to close because every break in costs more money.
Bingo has always been popular in local communities and with more and more younger people of both sexes playing regularly this comes as dissapointing news to the popularity of bingo halls and clubs on the high street as they have been dwindling.
Tags: bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted September 6th, 2008 by admin
A bingo hallin Tuckswood, Norwich, has apologised after refusing to let an ill man use its toilets.
Ian Mann, 40, suffers from ulcerative colitis, a condition which makes him need to use the toilet frequently. Working as a taxi driver, Mr Mann dropped a customer off at Mecca Bingo on Sunday evening at All Saints Green in the city. He then entered the club in an attempt to use the facilities, where he was refused.
Speaking about the incident he said: “I produced my card from the Colitis and Crohn’s Association, which explains that I have a non-contagious medical condition which means I need to use the toilet regularly, and asked if I could use the facilities. She had the audacity to say that I would have to become a member to use them.”
Spokesman for Mecca Bingo, Lesly Hughes said: “We are very sorry. It is our policy that only members can enter the building, but under exceptional circumstances such as this we would certainly allow someone to use the facilities. We will be speaking to all staff, not just the member of staff involved, to make sure they are aware of our policy. If anyone else produces a card such as this then we would allow them to use our facilities. We would like to extend our apologies to Mr Mann.”
Mr Mann is trying to raise awareness of the condition, which affects 1 in 500 people in the UK.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Land Based Bingo Halls
Posted September 4th, 2008 by admin
A Barrhead bingo hall that has been found to contain asbestos has been marked for demolition by the local council.
The asbestos was found when the building was vandalised and set on fire. Since then specialists have submitted plans for how they will remove the asbestos from the building and complete the demolition.
The building had served as a bingo hall since the 1970s and prior to this since first being built in the 1930s it was a cinema.
In the Past, asbestos was considered the building material of choice due to it’s durability and ease and costs. However, recently as you may well know, it has been discovered that exposure to asbestos can greatly increase the chances of contracting lung cancer. Specialist asbestos workers are being brought in to safely remove the material.
Tags: Bingo Hall Demolition, bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, Land Based Bingo Halls
