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
Posted September 2nd, 2008 by admin
We are hearing more and more these days about bingo halls going out of business and then torn down to make way for more “usefull” structures, but there was a story that caught my attention of one hall that is to become a church!!
The Carlton Bingo Club on Georgie Road in Edinburgh has been reopened as an extremely modern and spacious church becoming one of the most contemporary churches in the region. It includes a giant cinema screen and cinema seating for the use of the congregation.
The Rock Gospel church actually had to raise £300,000 in less than six months to secure the bingo hall as they had outgrown their existing premises and will now have a 900 person capacity.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Bingo Halls
Posted August 28th, 2008 by admin
The Judge Williams Memorial Hall, known more fondly as Judge’s Bingo Hall, will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year and preparations are underway for the huge party!!
The building in Tonypandy was officially opened in July 1909 by Princess Louise and The Duke of Argyll, and was erected at a cost of £6,000!!
The building was a gift to the residents of the area by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Rhys Williams and boasted a 1,500 capacity concert hall, as well as a library and billiard room.
The Hall’s deputy manager Adam Rowlands, said: “We have staff here that have been in bingo for more than 40 years.
It is nice to see that some of the old bingo halls are still surviving in these hard times for the bingo hall industry.
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, land based bingo
Posted August 20th, 2008 by admin
There has been news today of a glimmer of hope to all those smokers out there who have been affected by the smoking ban and their bingo playing habbits.
Beacon Bingo, a bingo hall in Loughborough, have introduced a trial for its smoking bingo customers, with a unique battery-powered cigarette, I Smoke. It is an electronic cigarette that looks identical to the real thing and gives out a hit of nicotine with every puff.
Bingo players have given it an overwhelming response saying that it tasted exactly like the real thing!!! The only complaint brought up by one payer was that it was a bit heavy!
So could this be the way forward for all businesses affected by the smoking ban? Personally i think it seems like an idea that could catch on and be a real bonus, not just for bingo halls, but for all businesses the smoking ban has affected!
Tags: Bingo Halls, bingo halls news, land based bingo
Posted August 12th, 2008 by admin
Texas, USA- News has come through from the worldwide bingo stage of a new bingo hall opening in Williamson County in an attempt to weather economic uncertainty.
Round Rock Bingo opening on August 25 is the first bingo hall to open within Travis and Williamson Counties, however, the real benefit isn’t to its players - it’s to children in the Central Texas area as the profits will be split equally between five childrens charities.
“Our forecast shows that in the first year, they should actually see $50,000 profit per charity,” said Pennie Koopman, who will manage Round Rock Bingo.
Hundreds of people are expected to pay to play at Round Rock Bingo nightly, and it’s the charities that will win big as by Texas law, all bingo must be tied to charity. There will be benefit to the counties where bingo halls are located as a small percentage of the winnings will go, in this case, to Williamson County.
Tags: bingo hall news, Bingo Halls, Charity Bingo
Posted August 8th, 2008 by admin
Following my report on Gala Bingo’s land based bingo hall promotions, i thought i would give Mecca the same treatment!!
Mecca are currently running 2 main promotions in their clubs over the month of August;
Half Price Same Prize Money
Wednesday 20th August* Mecca Bingo will be holding a great value session - 100% Prize Money for just 50% of the price!
*Please note, not all Mecca Bingo Clubs will participate in this promotion and the promotion dates may vary, please see in club for full terms and conditions.
Bunch of Fives
Monday Evening 25th August* at 5pm take part in Mecca’s fantastic ‘Bunch of Fives’
- Special 5pm session
- 5 pages of bingo
- £500 in club prize money
- £5,000 link game
- All for just £5
- For those lucky members with a special winners voucher will be invited to play for Free!
*Please note, Scottish clubs will not be taking part in this promotion. Please see in club for full terms and conditions
So why not go along to your local Mecca and see if you can be a winner!! GL GL!!
Tags: Bingo Halls, bingo halls news, land based bingo
Posted August 4th, 2008 by admin
Bingo Players of the Palace Hotel bingo hall have been left shocked following the closure of the bingo hall on Southend’s Pier Hill.
It has been repoted that baliffs padlocked the doors leaving a note warning Stylus Sports that any attempt to enter the building could lead to a prosecution. With no explanation as to the reasons why.
One player said: “I went along to play as usual and there was an enormous padlock on the front doors.
It seems that the club was very popular with the locals, with many enjoying the family run business and had no idea that the club was to close.
The bingo hall is located on the bottom floor of the Palace Hotel which was bought several years ago, with the company spending £2.3million on refurbishment work to transform the building into a four-star, 137-bedroom luxury hotel.
As for the staff, they were told not to come to work and had to wait a week before they were allowed in the building to pick up personal items.
They have been told to wait for more news after a management meeting later in the month and are will have to wait to hear if they will be paid their wages for the last month they worked.
The bingo hall boss, Mr Hargreaves, refused to comment about the closure.
Tags: , bingo hall news, land based bingo
Posted July 29th, 2008 by admin
There has’t been too much news recently on the bingo hall front, so i thought i would take the opportunity to bring you up to date with some information about Gala Bingo’s High 5 jackpot.
High 5 Jackpot- Call full house on any number ending in a 5 and you win 50% of the Gala High 5 jackpot – meaning your Link game win could be boosted by thousands of pounds. When there is a Gala High 5 winner, 50% of the rollover jackpot goes to the lucky winner and the other 50% is shared by the rest of the club playing the Link game. The High 5 jackpot currently stands at £475,385.88
The link game is played every day at 2.30pm and at 8.30pm.
With close to 170 clubs around the country, your bound to find one near you, so why not get together with some mates and have a great night out- and maybe even win something!!
Tags: bingo clubs, bingo hall news, land based bingo
Posted July 18th, 2008 by admin
It has come to my attention whilst reading through the bingo news in recent months, that bingo halls are a target for thieves and muggers, probing the question- Do Bingo Halls need to think about more security?
We all know that bingo halls are suffering with the double taxation and smoking ban, but they are still one of the favorite pastimes for many people.
Not a week goes by lately when there isn’t another incident at a bingo hall. Just today there is a story of an 86 year old man who was mugged whilst leaving his local club after winning £1000.
So what could clubs do to ensure the safety of not just the customers, but the staff and the club? Im sure that most clubs would have security guards and security cameras both inside and out, but is this enough of a deterrent to the criminals?
These incidents are not limited to the UK, as there are reports of similar situations arising in the USA where bingo is also a well loved but troubled industry.
Tags: bingo hall news, Bingo Halls
