Bingo Connect Winter 2022 - Issue 3

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The Magazine for the Bingo Industry

Winter 2022 Issue 3 - £6

Clubingo

®

Is this the future of land-based bingo?

IN THIS ISSUE

In profile: Meet Shaun Homewood, a born entertainer Back by popular demand: Full House New clubs, new looks!

The benefits and drawbacks of hybrid working

vouche r for grab up s!

Ente wordsre our compet arch ition

The No.1 association for bingo Shaping policy Developing business Driving the industry agenda The association for all things bingo - working with senior management and operators for more than two decades - successfully promoting and developing the interests of all bingo operators.

For industry news, comment and information on the benefits of membership, visit www.bingo-association.co.uk Call 01582 860921 or email info@bingo-association.co.uk

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Introduction Welcome to Bingo Connect, the magazine for the bingo industry in the UK, and the official magazine of The Bingo Association.

Published in hard copy and digital format (available on our website at www.bingoconnect.co.uk), Bingo Connect covers all things bingo, from news of regulatory development and new products, to industry profiles and charity support. Bingo is at the heart of the community and Bingo Connect is at the heart of the bingo industry.

Bingo Connect magazine is published three times a year: Autumn, Spring and Summer, with www.bingoconnect.co.uk updated regularly with the very latest stories. You can register your email address online to ensure you receive the latest alerts and updates.

Bingo Connect is about and for the bingo sector and we want to hear your news and stories: you can share them with us by emailing: info@bingoconnect.co.uk We hope you enjoy our latest edition – happy reading.

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Contents Winter 2022

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Foreword 6

Miles Baron, Chief Executive, The Bingo Association

In profile 34

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Jason Beauchamp-Hughes, GM at Majestic Bingo, Skegness Shaun Homewood, Duty Manager at Mecca Bingo, Swansea

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News round up

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Features

Club 3000 offers a sneak peak into their new luxury venues

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Buzz, hybrid working, mental health and putting its colleagues first

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Hybrid working: Alec Coulson of Taylor Walton takes us through the benefits and drawbacks Clubingo: creating a fun, engaging night of bingo ‘with a difference’.

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Cowells Arrow spend their time well during lockdown

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Back by popular demand! We’re off to Tonypandy and Full House

Integration is the key for ISD and their customers

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EY takes us through the highlights from the autumn budget

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50 Publisher The Bingo Association™ www.bingo-association.co.uk

Editorial Editor Miles Baron miles@bingo-association.co.uk

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Managing Editor Steve Baldwin steven@bingo-association.co.uk

Production and Advertising Sales Steve Pearce Tel: +44 (0) 117 957 5400 advertising@bingoconnect.co.uk

The Editorial Policy

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14 Competition time 27

Eyes down for a themed wordsearch

The views and opinions expressed in Bingo Connect remain principally the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publishers. The publishers wish to avoid inaccuracies and whilst every precaution has been taken to ensure that information contained in this publication is accurate, no liability is accepted by the editor or publishers for errors or omissions however caused. Unless otherwise stated, articles appearing in this publication remain the copyright of the publishers and may not be reproduced in any form without the publisher’s written consent.

ISSN 2752-6372

Bingo in pictures 50

Past & Present: Bingo’s celebrations and party nights

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Foreword

Miles Baron, Chief Executive, The Bingo Association

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ear Bingo supporter, I write this having just returned from The Bingo Association roadshow in Leeds on December 1st last year. The idea of the roadshow is to update members on industry news and events. I was taken aback by the record numbers attending both from the industry supply chain and from largely independent operators. Over 60 attendees were updated on lobbying and regulatory affairs as well as on the latest industry research.

There was also an update on our commercial operations: National Bingo Game, Meeron, and ISD. The atmosphere at the roadshow was collaborative and there was a real sense of ‘we are all in this together’.

Operators who have made it through thus far should be congratulated and rightly proud of themselves.

Unfortunately, trading starting to slide following a promising Autumn as Omicron concerns and fears started to kick in.

Conservative estimates are that alarms over Omicron cost the industry a further 10% on already supressed admission levels and further 8% decline in levels of G.P. The battle to survive and then recover is therefore far from over.

I hope that every one of our operators had a successful end to the year and festive season, doing what they do so

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The latest news from the Bingo Association’s Chief Executive Miles Baron well, which is to entertain and look after our fantastic customers in a safe, social and secure way.

I am looking forward to working with everyone in what I hope will be a prosperous 2022: you certainly deserve it.

Miles Baron Chief Executive

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Bingo’s all about the experience,

not just the numbers!

Since the 1990s, Leisure Electronics have been supporting the bingo industry with the manufacture and supply of the latest bingo equipment: the team works hard to ensure customers are offered the very latest and best technology, that enhances player experience and business performance, all in line with the latest trends.

Bingo Plus is getting a major facelift!

Leisure Electronics already deliver their successful Bingo Plus product to customers such as Parkdean Resorts, Merkur, Admiral, and the soon-to-belaunched operator, LOL Bingo.

With more and more products being

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delivered in the digital space, research shows that customers crave a more authentic bingo experience, rather than the more sterile game that is delivered through online bingo: bingo is in the entertainment business, after all!

To that end, Leisure Electronics have just invested in a state-of the-art digital TV studio, located in their newly refurbished headquarters in Hull.

Green screen technology allows the games to be tailored to a product, or brand with ease. The games are called ‘live’ by a presenter or caller in a modern style, giving players the full-on bingo experience.

In fact, the experience goes much further because the players can chat directly with the caller via the live chat facility.

Leisure Electronics are proud to be collaborating with several of the industry’s leading bingo callers, including Gary Marsden, formerly of Gala Bingo, who will

be leading the team responsible for presenting the Bingo Plus experience.

Live games are available across the network 7 days a week, from 10am through to 10pm, and beyond.

Sean Young, Managing Director of Leisure Electronics told us, “We’re really excited about the opportunities that Bingo Plus and our new studio brings to the sector. We’re already talking to several bingo operators and AGCs, to join our growing network of customers early in 2022. I’m always happy to welcome any operator to come and see our amazing new facility here in Hull, to see Bingo Plus and the studio for themselves.”

Mike Smith, a consultant for Leisure Electronics added, “Having worked in the bingo sector for many years, I can honestly say that it’s a really polished and professional set-up, and testament to the hard work put in by the team.

“Bingo Plus is the perfect system to run alongside or replace any current bingo offer, providing something that’s profitable, coupled with great prize money through pooled liquidity.

Bingo is experiential, and coupling Bingo Plus, live streaming, and the best callers, ensures that operators can offer a high-quality, entertaining, and a credible bingo proposition.”

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For more information visit: www.wexel.co.uk

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News round up

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Club 3000 invests £7 million in two new venues for 2022 Club 3000 Bingo, who are the largest independent bingo operator in the UK, have announced an investment of £7 million in two new clubs, located in Blackpool and Kilmarnock.

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lub 3000 Bingo will not only be investing in creating luxury venues in both locations, but also creating around 100 jobs, helping to boost local employment opportunities and economies.

Brian Fraser, founder of Club 3000 Bingo, commented, “We are delighted to extend our portfolio of clubs to 23 and bring the Club 3000 brand to Kilmarnock and Blackpool. They are both great venues and communities and we are looking forward to offering customers a fabulous bingo experience in firstclass, modern, and secure environments.

We promise something special to look

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forward to – both for regular bingo lovers and new customers.”

Club 3000 Blackpool is a new purpose built venue, currently being constructed at Festival Park, Rigby Road and while COVID-19 has caused a number of delays to the project opening plans are currently focused on summer 2022. Following the purchase of the freehold location in Kilmarnock from the landlord in late 2021 work is now underway on creating Club 3000 Kilmarnock which is expected to open in the spring 2022.

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www.club3000bingo.com

“ We are looking forward to offering customers a fabulous bingo experience.”

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Bingo of the future Mecca Bingo will shortly be revealing their latest interpretation of the modern day bingo space, bringing bingo of the future to their Luton venue. At the time of writing the final installations were taking place.

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he Luton club closed in March 2020, like all bingo clubs due to the national lockdown, but unlike other clubs remained closed while the teams at Mecca planned and designed the refurbishment, led by the results of extensive research.

The venue was initially built in the late 1960s/early 70s as a bowling alley and ice rink and was first operated as a bingo club by Ladbrokes, before then being taken over by Top Rank Limited in 1986 (Rank purchased a number of Ladbrokes sites the same year). It was then extended in 1998.

Bingo Connect spoke to Catrin White, Retail Marketing Director for Mecca about the exciting development of the new style leisure venue.

What was the player/customer profile for the venue and how did this compare in comparison to other clubs before it was closed?

Nationwide, we have seen a resurgence in popularity of bingo as people look for new and immersive experiences, especially since we came out of lockdown. With this in mind, we’re expecting to see a new and younger audience drawn to Mecca Luton, as well as our longstanding and much loved regular bingo players. With the safe space it offers to socialise and the huge variety of entertainment options, it has all the makings of a great night out; plus the added rush of a possible win! We’re expecting our customer base to continually grow and diversify.

When did the club close and where were the staff during the re-fit?

Like all of our UK clubs, Mecca Luton closed temporarily because of the Covid-19 pandemic back in March 2020. Due to the club’s planned refurbishment and transformation, it has since stayed closed while works are completed.

During the pandemic, in order to minimise any loss of jobs, Mecca, like many businesses, took the decision to furlough its team members. For Luton, this meant that 18 team members were furloughed. With the club’s closure continuing once lockdown restrictions lifted due to its refurbishments, some team members took the decision to find employment elsewhere, however we are happy to have retained a total of six team members at other local venues and to welcome others back once we reopen.

What are the key features of the new club: design, layout, furniture, areas within the venue, facilities, bar, food, electronic bingo, etc?

The newly refurbished Luton club will look completely different from the club our customers may remember – it is better than you could imagine: decked out in bright colours, stylish and with comfortable furniture, and social mediaworthy selfie spots. Spanning two floors, with a bright and airy atmosphere, there are lots of social spaces for cocktails, food – and of course bingo. The bingo tables themselves will be large and comfortable for socialising. All-new lighting, sound, video and graphics capabilities provide an enhanced bingo and entertainment experience, making it the perfect place to enjoy a night out with friends.

What was the thinking and research that shaped the new venue – what customer insights did the process reveal?

We’ve seen in our own research that people are looking for experience driven nights out, people want something thrilling and exciting that you can really get absorbed in.

Bingo came out as the top activity people were looking to take up post lockdown and all signs of growth since May 2021 have been positive.

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News round up

How does this latest version of the Mecca club fit with Rank’s future leisure aims?

The all-new Luton Mecca Bingo provides the blueprint for the future of Mecca. Its state of the art facilities elevate the bingo experience for all, providing a place for entertainment as well as bingo. Learning and takeaways from the Luton club will help guide future refurbishments and new venues for Mecca Bingo.

What changes are Rank hoping to see at the site. Change of customer profile? Increased membership, increased visits, increased spend, changes in player behaviour etc?

We’ve created a venue to appeal to customers of all ages, whether regular, occasional or new. We hope that the club we’ve created will encourage existing players to visit more often and stay for longer

A key part of the new club is not just the environment but also the offer, accommodating a new bingo schedule with more bingo to play throughout the day, entertainment at the weekends and great food and drink When will the club open and what can customers look forward to?

Mecca Luton will be complete in late January and will reopen to the public in February. We are excited to be welcoming customers back after so long and have some amazing treats in store as part of the club’s transformation.

Mecca Luton is coming back bigger and better than ever.

We’re ready to show off our ‘wow’ factor and get the bingo balls rolling again. Existing or new customers can come and play anytime – with a game of bingo at a time to suit everyone. There will be some exclusive nights especially for our loyal existing customers to welcome them back to club and introduce them to their new club. We will be using social media – Facebook and a new Instagram page, email, and direct mail, plus local advertising to keep everyone informed of the relaunch.

As well as a new leisure venue, there are new food and drink menus, with something for everyone, including vegan and gluten-free options. There is a new open kitchen, with pizza oven and chargrill.

Food options range from small plates that can be mixed and matched, pizzas, burgers and steak, as well as some fabulous new dessert options. Guests will get to quench their thirst with Mecca’s new drinks menu, which includes well known brands, a new cheeky cocktail and wine range, a wide range of premium gins and beers, as well as alcohol free options.

In addition to bingo, Mecca Luton will play host to a wide variety of themed nights and events, including brunches, comedy nights, live music, Bonkers Bingo and takeovers, as well as great prizes and top of the range machines.

And finally, which lucky GM will be leading the launch and the new club?

The General Manager will be Tim Perry, who was the previous GM for Mecca in Hayes. The relaunch of Mecca Luton is creating more than 50 new jobs and we have been busy recruiting for a wide range of roles, including team members, kitchen team members, and bingo callers.

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www.meccabingo.com

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Featured article: Employment update from Taylor Walton

The benefits and drawbacks of hybrid working “Hybrid Working” where employees split their working time between the office and their home is now seen as inevitable in some business sectors due to the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic and will eventually become the normal working arrangements for many employees.

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hilst some employers were initially reluctant to send their employees to work from home at the beginning of the pandemic, there is an increasing expectation that many employees will now work from home for at least part of their working week.

For some staff home working is not an option for example, in certain roles in the bingo business. Therefore, within an organisation a “two- tier” workforce could emerge where office staff work primarily from home with hospitality staff unable to do so. This can be challenging to manage with the business.

Therefore what are the benefits and drawbacks to allowing employees hybrid working arrangements and what should employers be considering going forward?

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Benefits The benefits of hybrid working are commonly seen as follows: 1. Reduced overhead costs – the need for expensive offices and other related overheads may be reduced.

2. Increased productivity – there is evidence to suggest that employees working from home without the need for a long commute to work are more productive.

3. Better work/life balance – many workers respond well to working from home for at least a few days per week.

4. Skills retention – workers who might otherwise be lost because of family relocation, new family or caring responsibilities, or temporary or permanent disability may stay if offered appropriate arrangements.

5. Recruitment – employers that allow some homeworking will have access to a wider geographical talent pool. The ability to work from home is also likely to be seen as a benefit by potential candidates.

6. Team flexibility – geography and travel time are less of an impediment and teams of workers can be assembled more easily.

7. Resilience – organisations geared to homeworking and hybrid working may be better able to withstand external disruptions such as transport problems or adverse weather conditions.

Featured article: Employment update from Taylor Walton

Drawbacks The drawbacks to a hybrid working arrangement for employers include: 1. Culture – potential damage to team working and company culture.

2. Collaboration and innovation – reduced face-toface collaboration among colleagues and teams, which is not only important for innovation but also for employee social interaction and wellbeing.

3. Learning and development – reduced on-the-job learning and training opportunities for junior or less experienced workers.

4. Productivity – the employer will be reliant to a large degree on trust and may fear that some workers will not “pull their weight”.

5. Data security – potential confidential information, data security and data protection breaches.

6. Inclusivity – employers may face challenges ensuring inclusivity and participation with a dispersed workforce, where some employees attend meetings from the workplace and others join remotely.

7. Mental health – employees working from home may experience loneliness and boredom, feel alienated from their organisation and developments within it. They may also find it more difficult to separate their work life from their home life.

8. Supervision – more difficult to supervise junior employees and provide on the job training.

Legal Implications Discrimination An employer considering or introducing hybrid working, or if it’s already in place, needs to be aware of the potential for discrimination claims arising.

For example, the refusal to accept a hybrid working request from a male employee who has child care responsibilities, but accepting a similar request from a female employee.

A disabled employee may also have protection in relation to a homeworking or hybrid working request as such a request could amount to a duty on the employer to make a reasonable adjustment.

If hybrid working is only allowed for experienced staff, this may lead to age discrimination claims from younger employees.

Therefore, it is important employers think through the implications of agreeing to or refusing a hybrid working request from a discrimination perspective.

Change to Employment Contract Employers may also need to consider the fact that a change from workplace-based working to remote working, either from home or as part of a hybrid working arrangement, is bingoconnect.co.uk

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likely to amount to a change to the terms and conditions of employment. Therefore, if the employer wishes to end or amend the hybrid arrangement this will amount to a change of contract requiring the employee’s consent.

Flexible Working There is currently no automatic right for employees to work remotely. Employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service at the date the request is made can apply for “flexible working” arrangements. A request could involve changing the number of hours they work, the times they work or the location. Only one request may be made under the statutory scheme in any 12-month period. However, the Government is currently reviewing the flexible working arrangements with a view to removing the requirement for the 26 weeks requirement therefore making a right to request flexible working a day 1 right.

The legislation recognises that an employer may have entirely legitimate business reasons why it cannot accommodate a flexible working request, and there are currently eight specific grounds that an employer may rely on for rejecting a request which are also being reviewed by the Government. These are: • The burden of additional costs.

• Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand.

• Inability to reorganise work among existing staff.

• Inability to recruit additional staff.

• Detrimental impact on quality.

• Detrimental impact on performance.

• Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work.

• Planned structural changes.

However, it may be harder for employers to refuse flexible working requests for homeworking or hybrid working where the temporary arrangements that have applied during the COVID-19 pandemic have worked well although in many cases this will be a matter of opinion.

Practical Steps If employers want to introduce hybrid working, they should: • create a hybrid working policy; • review and adapt any related policies or procedures; and • consult with employees before implementing.

A hybrid working policy allows for such arrangements to apply on a discretionary basis, whereby staff are permitted to split their work time between home and the workplace, without the need for a formal statutory flexible working request to be made, if agreed with their line manager or HR.

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Alec Colson is a Solicitor and Partner at Taylor Walton LLP, in Taylor Walton’s Employment team. Alec has specialised in Employment and Industrial Relations Law for over 20 years. taylorwalton.com

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News round up

Working from home: mental health, flexibility and hybrid working

By Gary Fielden, HR Director, Buzz Bingo.

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hanks to Government guidance and Covid-19 many people were furloughed in 2020 and working from home (WFH) became a reality for millions. As we moved into 2021 with changing restrictions and conditions, we all learned to be more flexible in our approach to things and recognise that plans may have to change last minute. It also presented new challenges both in terms of finding and creating a work environment away from the office and, for some, feelings of isolation.

Whether we loathe or like the enforced changes Covid has wrought in terms of how we work, it has certainly shaken things up. It has led to one of the largest workplace changes in living memory that is increasingly making hybrid working a very real situation for millions of people.

As a consequence of Covid-19 office based employees at Buzz Bingo experienced a variety of opportunities and challenges as they quickly adjusted to furlough or a new balance of work, family, pets, and time to explore new hobbies. Because who doesn’t have a friend who became a passionate banana bread or indoor plant enthusiast over lockdown?

Identifying new priorities Business needs changed as the pandemic evolved. As always, colleague and customer health was our primary concern and we rapidly identified three priorities when focusing specifically on WFH. We needed to quickly: 1. Equip our WFH colleagues with the right tools, software, and processes to work safely and effectively;

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2. Empower our WFH colleagues with the autonomy to choose ways of working that was best for them; 3. Ramp up mental health support and business communications for all WFH and furloughed colleagues.

With all our colleagues furloughed or WFH, we took the opportunity to move out of our long-term Head Office at New Castle House in Nottingham and immediately focus on our new priorities.

We gave all WFH colleagues laptops, peripherals, second monitors, office

chairs, and anything else they needed to efficiently WFH. We provided intranet training on everything from how to set up equipment safely to how to use Microsoft Teams as a platform for meetings, creative collaboration, and casual conversation.

Many colleagues were juggling WFH with home-schooling children, caring for family members and pets, handling mental health challenges, developing new sleep habits, and countless other variables. In response, we offered flexible working where

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possible, including compressed hours, part time options, and self-dictated times of working.

We also enhanced and extended our mental health services and communication processes to meet our employees’ growing need for support.

We conducted regular check-ins and surveys with all WFH colleagues, and our team of volunteer Mental Health Advocates acted as a touchpoint for anyone wanting to chat about mental health or be signposted to appropriate NHS services and resources.

Exploring the idea of hybrid working After the first few weeks of working from home, we learned via anonymous surveys that a significant number of colleagues enjoyed working from home and wanted to retain it as an option even after a new office opened.

Noting this as a fantastic opportunity to offer our employees the flexibility they wanted and look for a bright new office space, we began exploring how hybrid working - a mix of WFH and in the office - could fit in with our future.

Moving into our new office We opened our new office in Nottingham’s Castle Marina in November 2021 and are currently trialling hybrid working with around 90 hot desks. If a colleague would like to come to the office, they book their desk, parking space, and meeting rooms online.

We’ve ditched department seating layouts, permanent parking spaces, and private offices for senior management in favour of desks and spaces open to everyone. The goal is to create an environment where mixing with colleagues from other departments is inevitable. We believe this is an excellent way to encourage positive relationships to form across the business.

Our new office has a whole floor dedicated to collaboration. It has a mixture of high and low seating options with a café culture vibe to encourage groups to come together, catch up, and be creative. 20-foot dry wipe boards dominate two meeting rooms and we’ve installed four interactive screens across the office to create even more opportunities for bingoconnect.co.uk

impromptu creativity and to capture ideas as they flow.

Newly installed state-of-the-art technology means remote colleagues can be ‘in the room’ with in-office colleagues via seamless connections to Microsoft Teams and other platforms.

Everyone can work together, easily, from wherever they happen to be.

The Buzz Bingo hybrid working trial Many organisations are trialling hybrid working, but often in a strictly limited sense. For example, WFH is only allowed one day a week, or in-office days and working times are stipulated by managers.

At Buzz Bingo, we recognise that every colleague is an individual with personal working-style preferences and unique home-life situations. We’re proud to be trialling a highly flexible approach to hybrid working with full support of the Executive Team.

All colleagues who used to work in Head Office full time can now decide where and when they want to work.

If someone works best from home, they might only come in for important meetings and social catch ups. If someone wants to be in the office some or all days a week, that’s great too - hot desks can be reserved up to 28 days in advance. As long as Buzz Bingo colleagues continue achieving the high standards we strive for, they have the freedom to choose what works best for them - and we will trust their judgement.

We believe this level of trust and flexibility will vastly improve employee happiness, health, productivity, and retention.

We partnered with a highly regarded Management Consultancy to design our hybrid working trial, which included conducting extensive analysis to understand potential risks and creating solutions to mitigate against them. For example, in January 2022, the business will switch to an updated performance management process which is more forward-thinking and colleague-focused than before. We’re also ready to hit go on a new “engine room” process to foster faster, more accurate communication across the business, irrespective of where colleagues are working from.

The future of hybrid working at Buzz Bingo We’re excited about the changes planned for 2022 and we’ll be carefully monitoring the results of our hybrid working trial. We’re determined to offer our colleagues the flexibility, autonomy, and trust they want.

Of course, our trial and new changes are just the beginning. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that nobody knows what challenges we could face in the future. So, we’ve vowed to monitor what’s going on in the world, search for great examples of hybrid working at other organisations, and frequently check in with our colleagues to hear how they’re feeling and what they want.

We’ll keep changing things for the better, and you can be sure we’ll grab hold of every opportunity we get to make Buzz Bingo one of the most fulfilling places to work in the UK.

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www.buzzbingo.com

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News round up

Safer Gambling Standard Annual Review 21/22 GamCare, the leading national provider of information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling related harms, has published its Trustee’s Annual Review detailing the charity’s work over the past year. And what a year it was.

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gainst the backdrop of the pandemic, GamCare reached more people than ever, providing 24/7, year-round support through the National Gambling Helpline and online support services.

Throughout the course of the past year GamCare have seen a 9% increase in calls and chats, answering over 42,000 in total; the number of actual treatment sessions and assessments also increased by 14% to over 55,000 sessions provided.

GamCare also worked with 35 gambling brands, across 13 businesses, who are all working towards or have achieved the Safer Gambling Standard. In addition to this, nearly 15,000 professionals working with at risk individuals received gambling awareness training, an increase of 64% on the previous year.

To protect people from experiencing gambling-related harm, it is important that the measures put in place by gambling businesses be independently assessed, which is exactly what the Safer Gambling Standard does, in addition to helping achieve best practice in these important areas of the business. Joining the Safer Gambling Standard scheme demonstrates that a business has adopted a wide range of safer gambling measures that go beyond the social responsibility provisions of a gambling licence.

To build further on the work of the Standard GamCare also recently launched a new Business to Business (B2B) version, specifically for businesses that supply products to gambling operators, such as games software and platform providers, which will greatly enable the sector as a whole to put customer care at the centre of what they do, no longer singularly leaving the emphasis on customer facing businesses to do so alone.

A focal point of the year is always Safer Gambling Week, now in its sixth year. In collaboration with YouGov, GamCare undertook some consumer research asking 1,510 people who gamble at least once a year what they do to gamble safely. The results were encouraging with over a third (39%) of people saying that they stuck to spending limits to keep / Winter 2022

themselves safe, and nearly a quarter (23%) stating that they avoid betting on fixed-odds type machines. Just over half (52%) of people in the survey mentioned that they would only gamble on specific things such as certain sports or events.

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To find out more about the Standard please email safergamblingstandard@gamcare.org.uk or visit www.safergamblingstandard.org.uk

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News round up

Keeping it local

Majestic Bingo operates thirteen licensed bingo clubs across England and Wales, each of which is at the heart of its community and presented in Majestic’s bright signature style.

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hile Majestic firmly have their sights set on their overarching ‘generations’ strategy, focused on how they talk to customers, another key strategy has been ‘keep it local’, which allows each cub manager the flexibility to deliver a bingo experience that speaks to their local market and customers: it works by tapping into what the local community wants, as the Majestic team understands that one size rarely fits all.

The success of this approach has been clearly seen by the back-to-back events held at their Rio Bingo Club in Canvey Island. The first event was a bespoke night supporting a local charity, followed by a Pearly Kings and Queens Cockney event later the same week.

This cockney ‘knees up’ included pie & mash, and jellied eels, all being served while customers were doing the Lambeth walk, led by a Pearly King and Queen! These special local events were all planned by Chris Fletcher, Assistant Manager in the Club, who understood what appealed to and connected with, his customers.

The charity, Indee Rose Trust (a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting children during and after treatment for brain and spinal tumours), were approached as they had a close association with a number of customers and were delighted with the response and funds raised on the night.

The recent Rio events are only two examples of a long list of local activities at Canvey Island, which demonstrate the positive impact that they can deliver both for the business and local community. Another great and completely different example of local engagement has been in Camborne, a town that had a very poor reputation for holiday decorations, having been held to have the worst Christmas tree in the country! This is the third year in which Apollo Bingo Camborne has paid for the town’s tree, helping the town to shake its reputation for a terrible tree and creating press headlines ‘Majestic Bingo saves Christmas’.

Going forward Majestic have decided to give each GM the autonomy to create and deliver local activities that tap into what people in their local communities’ want, keeping it local.

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www.majesticbingo.com

Keep up to date with everything that’s happening in the World of Bingo Visit bingoconnect.co.uk / Winter 2022

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Moving on up Bingo Connect, visits Shipley Creative to hear news of their planned expansion.

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ecently we visited the team at Shipley Creative to gain an insight into to how one of the UK’s favourite print and design companies services much of the independent arcade and bingo sector and delivers over 5.8 million pieces of Direct Mail on behalf of its customers.

Arriving at Shipley Creative’s Greater Manchester base in Leigh on an (unusually) bright and sunny Monday morning in January, we are greeted by Anthony Halliwell, General Manager, who is excited to give us a guided tour.

The ground floor office is already a hive of activity and we are first introduced to the Graphic Design team. The day’s jobs are being collated and processed and the first Client Briefs have been distributed. Within the hour, the first artwork proofs have been turned around and sent back to the client for amends or sign off.

It’s amazing to see just how quickly

➜ Before images of the derelict first floor

artwork is turned around.

The designers know their clients, they know how bingo works and they know the best way to communicate a promotion to the final customer.

Through the door and we are led into the main production area. It is the start of the working day, but already the printers are in full flow. Three state of the art Richo 9100 Commercial Print Engines rapidly churn out Direct Mail pieces for their clients.

Once printed, the mail is moved to the finishing area where they are quality checked before being cut to size via mechanised guillotines, sorted

by Postcode and packed ready to be collected by Royal Mail.

2021 has obviously been a difficult year for Shipley Creative and their clients but the business is optimistic for the future and the continued recovery of the sector. In fact, plans are well advanced to double the floor size of the facility by bringing the previously derelict first floor back into use.

Anthony guides us upstairs to share with us the refurbishment plans. The whole floor has been totally redesigned to accomodate the entire team of designers and support staff to larger, more modern facilities, leaving the entire ground floor for

➜ Work in progress on the new state of the art studio

production and finishing space.

New technology is being installed everywhere including hyperoptic broadband (important when dealing with huge artwork files) upgraded Adobe design packages and the installation of an commercial goods lift.

Anthony still has photo’s of the same area just a few weeks ago. As a former “Co-operative” head office and store, it was like stepping back into the 1980s. The old fixtures and fittings were still in place including an antiquated clocking in machine, canteen and a memo board displaying important communications from over 30 years ago. Now, the area will be a state of the art design studio – it even has windows!

Back down to the production area and the first mailshots have been finished and are being packed ready for collection by Royal Mail later in the day. Many of these jobs are submitted by clients, designed, proofed, produced and posted in the same day – unbeatable service that will further improve with increased capacity and resources – it’s little surprize that their clients love the ease and speed.

➜ bingoconnect.co.uk

Email theteam@shipleycreative.com or call 01942 364 500

Winter 2022 /

22

News round up

Watch this space We talk to Andrew Ludow of NRM.

➜ Steve Cook, Andrew Ludlow, Pete Fagg znd Freddie Shreeve

Q

In October last year you made two big announcements confirming the purchase of Probability Jones and Air Dice as an equity partner – how will this impact bingo operators and what changes will they notice?

When I announced the purchase of the Probability Jones games studio and confirmed Air Dice as our new equity partner I described it as being a step change for the business. Concluding the deal with Air Dice has given us additional firepower to fully develop what have always been consistently ambitious innovation pipelines. Air Dice has been an important supply partner for us in the UK Bingo sector for many years and has development studios based across Europe. It will be able to provide us with additional support across the key strategic areas of resource, technology and distribution.

Both organisations are comfortable challenging conventional thinking, exploring new ways of doing things and combining both online and offline. We are both 100 percent customer focussed and there’s a very positive chemistry and a shared outlook on how to run and develop a technology and ideas driven business. In terms of the future nothing is off the table and our shared mantra is to ask why not, rather than why – which is a hugely positive starting point to build from. These twin developments are game / Winter 2022

changers and it’s very much a case of watch this space as we open the next chapter in the development of the company.

Q

NRM recently added two new developers to its team – is this a case of NRM addressing gaps or part of a broader more strategic recruitment campaign?

After right-sizing the business and following the acquisition of Probability Jones we are in the right place to further develop the business and I am delighted to have been able to attract two highly qualified and motivated developers to join our already fantastic development team at NRM, In the form of 23-year old Manchester-based Dominic Melloy and 25-year old Pierluigi Pascarella from London. Both have first class honours degrees: Dominic in Computer Forensics and Security and Pierluigi in Computer Science.

The appointments reflect the changing nature of employment not just within our industry but throughout the economy. The Covid experience has shown that with the right amount of support and planning that it’s perfectly achievable to run a team that works remotely and by being flexible in terms of our approach to home working it opens up the opportunity to recruit from a much deeper pool of talent.

News round up

Q

You have announced NRM’s anticipated participation in a clean sweep of UK gaming exhibitions comprising ACOS, EAG and ICE London. What was it like to return to in-person events when you attended ACOS and what aspirations do you have for the Bingo Hub at ICE London hopefully later this year?

ACOS was a fantastic experience which provided an opportunity to have proper conversations about product, about the industry and about how smart technology empowered products engage with customers and in the process, help support the recovery. ACOS was the first industry event for some twenty months and I think no one fully recognised how important exhibitions are in building confidence and reflecting positivity.

I’m pleased The Bingo Association is once again working with Clarion Gaming, the organisers of ICE London, rebranding of the Bingo Pavilion as the Bingo Hub: everyone with an interest in bricks and mortar bingo should drop by to see the companies that exhibit in this space and it’s a good opportunity to network. We are very much looking forward to the attending the show later this year.

“ In terms of the future nothing is off the table and our shared mantra is to ask why not, rather than why – which is a hugely positive starting point to build from.”

Q

What’s in the NRM product pipeline?

We have a committed product and development plan, and from all of the feedback received it seems to be very much in-line with our customers’ needs and requirements. NRM is known for being an innovative and agile company and we have been working on some really cool projects. All the products from our mobile applications, membership, the Budde Platform, Ad-Go advertising platform, Jigsaw and Bingo Express 2 are receiving very positive reviews and also orders. Operators are looking for something which as well as being proven will also make a difference and succeed in driving customer engagement and that’s what we have been able to demonstrate courtesy of our commitment to and ongoing investment in R&D.

Q

How would you review the last 12-months and what are your aims and objectives for 2022?

Obviously, you cannot escape or ignore the difficulties of the last twenty plus months that have impacted everyone in land-based gaming. Despite the challenges the industry has faced and continues to face, the overriding mood is not one of pessimism. In fact, there’s a focus on forward investment and a desire to explore solutions that enable operators and retailers to deliver products and services that improve the customer in-venue experience. There’s a lot of positivity out there which is really encouraging – and the future certainly looks much brighter. NRM is in an exciting place and fully-committed to meeting the business needs of all of our customers, not least those in bricks and mortar bingo, a sector in which we have a rich and successful heritage.

➜

For further information please visit: www.nrmgroup.com

Got a job vacancy you need to fill?

Reach the whole of the bingo industry Email advertising@bingoconnect.co.uk bingoconnect.co.uk

23

Winter 2022 /

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News round up

Pair, pay and play

The latest payment solution application from Game Payment Technology, Game Payment, makes it as easy as possible for players to track their spend and play, across multiple venues and machines.

G

ame Payment Technology (GPT) is a joint venture between amusement and gaming machine industry trade association, BACTA, and payment industry specialists Polar Moment, who have developed, implemented, and advised upon many of the leading card payment systems in use today.

GPT brings together the ambition and skills to drive the industry forward with payment solutions suited to an increasingly cashless society with high penetration of mobile phone ownership and use.

The ‘Game Payment’ app is solely focused on gaming and amusements and is the only multi-machine solution that works across all machine types in all venues, such as fruit machines, grabber machines, virtual reality machines, pool tables, and jukeboxes. A player can use one app to play on all the machines in a pub, club, or arcade, without the need for cash.

The app is simple to use, with a quick, hassle-free registration process and also includes features to help players manage their spending responsibly, with features to set limit session spend/time, set reminders, and breaks from play, with easy access to full transaction histories.

The Game Payment cashless solution has been implemented and tested with several manufacturers, including Blueprint Gaming, Reflex Gaming and NSM Music and retrospectively installed in a wide range of amusement machines in Brighton Palace Pier’s Dome arcade.

GPT’s latest product is the TR-SLU, a unit that can GPenable any machine that uses a coin pulse interface for enabling play, for example, pool tables. This revolutionary new unit can operate in both a mains and battery-powered environment, having been designed to be extremely / Winter 2022

power efficient with a battery life of up to three years. New developments are constantly being added to the solution, including a fresh new app that will be launching in 2022 to make the player experience even better and provide retailers with the options to brand the appearance of the app.

Such has been the demand for Game Payment that the initial production run of TR-SLUs sold out within a day. The good news is that GPT have secured more components and are taking orders for the next shipment in early 2022.

➜

For more information please visit: www.gamepayment.technology

News round up

The future’s bright

Cowells Arrow is name that will be familiar to the majority of those involved in the gaming and bingo sectors, which along with Arrow Games, Capital, Capital Games and Specialty Manufacturing are part of US based Arrow International: industry leaders in North America and Europe for over 50 years.

I

n the UK, Cowells Arrow has long been synonymous with high quality, innovative gaming products. A position which has been firmly cemented with significant investment at their Suffolk based production facilities, highlighting their commitment to innovation and the UK market as a whole, with specific focus on the bingo sector.

Managing Director Tony Lister commented, “Like many businesses, the recent Covid-enforced downtime had all members of our team thinking how we could further expand and improve our offering; sharing our expertise and collective knowledge with other sectors? The result of our collective and collaborative labours is Clubmate, of which we are particularly proud.

“Clubmate is a unique and exciting product that seamlessly combines decades of Cowells Arrow’s commercial bingo expertise with the specific requirements of the bingo club bingo market, all delivered in a simple and easy to use tablet-based system.”

Tony continued, “At the heart of Clubmate lies a reliable and well proven Random Number Generator (RNG) that can call bingo games day in, day out without fuss or fear of failure. And because it’s based on a professional operating system you have the option to track ticket sales, display prize money, and have “claim imminent” notifications should you wish.

Working exclusively with a specially created bingo perm, Clubmate is professional and remains second nature to use.”

Firm fans and champions of

bingoconnect.co.uk

club bingo the team at Cowells understood immediately that clubs need to play additional customer participation games to maximise revenues. This is where Clubmate really delivers. As the leading supplier of ancillary products to the marketplace Cowells already had a unique insight into what bingo clubs would want to see on their entertainment system, which is exactly what has been included, at no additional cost. Perennial favourites such as Tote, Lottery Draws and Lucky Draws feature large on the home screen, alongside the familiar audience participation games; Higher or Lower, Open The Box and Spin The Wheel. All easy to play and guaranteed to generate fun and revenue for the club, without the need to purchase expensive stage displays.

In sharing details of Clubmate with potential customers it became very clear to the Cowells’ team that what clubs wanted to see was a

pipeline of planned fresh content for the system, that changed from time to time, helping to retain longterm customer interest and in doing so maximise their return on the investment in the product.

Cowells took note and made the decision to make it a product that could be updated with new games and features as they were developed, should the customer choose; keeping the content relevant to their specific audience at all times.

To make integration and implementation of Clubmate into day to day club life as easy as possible, in addition to the usual high level of customer service support, Cowells Arrow are also happy to provide a full “in club” demonstration (pre-sale), tailored installation and post-sale technical support; total piece of mind.

Produced with the end user in mind and developed in collaboration with customers Clubmate is set for a bright future with lots of engaging content.

➜

For more information visit: www.cowellsarrow.co.uk

Winter 2022 /

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26

News round up

Charity Golf Day 2022 After a forced absence of two years The Bingo Association’s Annual Charity Golf Day is set to make a welcome return this year on Thursday June 9th, at the stunning Mottram Hall, Cheshire.

T

he Charity Golf Day is always a popular event, which raises funds for the Association’s national charity, currently Variety - The Children’s Charity, in addition to offering a great day’s golf, rounded off with a gala dinner. The event is always well supported as it is a great opportunity to network, not just on the links but especially at the drinks reception and dinner in the evening, when the awards from the day’s play are presented.

Previous Golf Days have understandably been well attended by golfers, but The Bingo Association is hoping to encourage wider support this year and has chosen Mottram Hall, part of the exclusive Champney’s Spa group, as this year’s venue as it offers world class golf, leisure and spa facilities: following a £10million investment Champneys at Mottram Hall has become one of the regions leading spa destinations.

Mottram Hall’s golf course is one of a kind, set in 270 acres of Cheshire’s finest parkland, the 7,006 yard 18-hole, Par 72 course was the host venue for the 2013 European Senior’s PGA Championship and presents a challenge to even the most seasoned golfer.

Options for attending include golf only, golf and dinner, or dinner only, with overnight accommodation also available to book directly with the hotel. Full details of the day, together with booking forms and accommodation information will be sent to Association members early in the New Year and will also be available from the Association’s website.

/ Winter 2022

➜

If you would like to sponsor an Award at the Golf Day, or provide a prize, please contact Sharon Salmon at The Bingo Association, sharon@nationalbingo.co.uk

Wordsearch

Wordsearch

27

Our winning entry from Issu e 2, goes to

Joanne C raig, Club3000

WIN a £25 Amazon voucher!

Solve our word search puzzle by finding the 12 words hidden in the grid below. Note: The words may be written in any direction including backwards and diagonally.

This issue we’re searching for the sunshine! Find the following destinations:

St Kitts and Nevis Koh Samui Mauritius The Maldives Barbados Bora Bora Seychelles St Lucia Skegness Basilicata Santorini Hawaii

E Y Y Y U S N E Q D T M S S K

H S K E G N E S S A P L T V L

S S T W Y K K Y T T H T L Q M

I I P H K B R J C X S E U Q C

U K F L E E V T I H S I C F T

M S V Z Q M D I P A E Y I B U

A J E U M M A N Y W O L A S O

S J O M P W G L D A C K L D J

H R H A A S I I D C D B C E X

O Z W H F M A U R I T I U S S

K B B O R A B O R A V O B Z R

S T K I T T S A N D N E V I S

S A N T O R I N I B M E S Z B

Y S O D A B R A B J T S N U Z

N B B A S I L I C A T A J X T

All Bingo Connect Wordsearch competition entries must be received by 28th February 2022. Please email a clear picture or scan of your completed Bingo Connect Wordsearch to info@bingo-association.co.uk along with your full name by the closing date. Alternatively please remove your completed Wordsearch from the magazine, write your name and either your email address or telephone number clearly at the bottom of the page, and send it by post in an envelope addressed to: WORDSEARCH, The Bingo Association, Lexham House, 75 High Street North, Dunstable, Beds LU6 1JF by the closing date.

Terms and Conditions: All entrants must be aged 18 or over. The Prize is a single Amazon Gift Voucher to the value of £25.00 and no alternative prize is available. All entries, whether sent by email or post, must be received no later than 30th November 2021. Proof of postage or transmission is not proof of receipt. All correct Bingo Connect Wordsearch entries will be entered into a draw and a single Winner drawn at random by The Bingo Association Limited. The Winner will be notified, either by email or telephone, and the Prize sent within 30 days of the closing date and the Winner’s name published in the following issue of Bingo Connect. The competition is organised by The Bingo Association Limited and their decision is final in all matters relating to this. bingoconnect.co.uk

Winter 2022 /

28

News round up

Integration all the way For ISD 2021 proved to be a busy year. As businesses were facing new challenges and actively seeking ways to streamline processes and maximise benefits of customer interactions, efficiency of IT and digital comms came firmly into focus, and with them the need to ensure that systems integrated seamlessly. As we start 2022 the pace of development at ISD shows no sign of slowing down.

I

SD’s flagship product Maxim is the backbone of many membership venues/businesses and a leader in the sector. As we enter 2022 the product offers an increased ability to integrate with a wide range of third party applications, allowing users to seamlessly link their customer accounts into mobile apps, tills, gaming tablets and much more.

“All existing customers have been upgraded to a new version of Maxim” ISD’s Managing Director, Chris Wrigley said. “This latest upgrade has the added capability of being able to send promotional vouchers directly to customers’ Electronic Gaming Tablets and Rich SMS messages to their mobiles too.

“Both of these new marketing channels are already proving popular with our users and their customers.”

Leisure, gaming and hospitality venues have found the impact of Covid extremely challenging, managing periods of forced closure, re-opening in a Covid safe way, altering processes to help ensure customer safety and all the while adapting to an everchanging background of operating restrictions and requirements. In navigating this landscape having effective IT has been critical, not just in regard to business processes, but also customer transactions and data management relating to Covid requirements.

Chris said, “We have also been busy assisting customers with bespoke software to help manage the complexities and requirements of Covid passports and reporting, trying to ensure that these integrations are as future proof as they can be at this time.”

ISD work with clients across the / Winter 2022

“ These new marketing channels are already proving popular with our users and their customers.” leisure sector and have also been busy with designing and launching the BACTA Portal. Rolled out to over a thousand high street gaming outlets the portal was launched to assist BACTA members with Customer Interaction and Self Exclusion but will have additional functionality added shortly.

The ISD 2022 pipeline includes new products along with redesigns. There will be a new Banking and Accounting system to replace Orion, a mobile

version of Maxim and a range of APIs (Application Process Interface) to expand product integration.

ISD have long standing relationships with a number of service providers in the gaming industry and specialise in providing APIs which allows systems to integrate and share data (all in accordance with GDPR requirements). Development of more APIs in 2022 will deliver greater integration across systems, critical for many shared and new customers.

News round up

Maxim users will be able to look at all sorts of new systems in the full knowledge that Maxim and other ISD products will integrate easily with them, including ISD’s newest product Scratch Card management, shortly to be joined by a full lottery software system.

The combination of operational experience, software expertise and market awareness at ISD ensures that they continue to deliver high quality products, that are relevant to the marketplace and operating conditions. All of which helps their customers deliver a great end-user experience, through smart data collection and easy to use applications.

ISD has been externally reviewed and awarded ISO27001 accreditation, which means clients can trust the processes used regarding data protection and general security protocols.

To receive campaign updates and access marketing assets supporters must be registered, which they can do on the website in the GET INVOLVED section.

➜

For more information visit www.isdgroup.uk

Caller of the year 2022 Calling all bingo callers, hosts and presenters: get ready to shine!

• Do you ‘call’ the numbers with passion and flair?

• Do you have a talent you are able to share?

• And would your customers follow you anywhere?

You could be Bingo’s next ambassador, the National Bingo Game ‘Bingo Caller Of The Year’ and join bingo’s Hall of Fame.

The search begins this Spring in all Buzz, Mecca and independent clubs, with current title holder Donna Kunyo from Club 3000 joining the judging panel for the National Final.

Details of this year’s competition will be available shortly and shared in the next issue of Bingo Connect and through the Bingo Connect website.

If you would like to enter you can register your interest now, by emailing Alastair Stuart at the National Bingo Game: alastair@nationalbingo.co.uk

THE SEARCH IS ON! bingoconnect.co.uk

Winter 2022 /

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30

Featured article: Clubingo

Fun in clubland We are all familiar with bingo clubs, where the emphasis is on bingo, but not quite so familiar perhaps with club bingo, where the emphasis is very much on ‘club’.

L

eading the charge has been Bongo’s Bingo, formed by Jonny Lacey AKA Jonny Bingo and Joshua Burke back in 2015. Josh shared details of their inspiration and initial journey at The Bingo Association’s AGM in 2017, since when they have taken their particular brand of ‘club’ bingo around the UK and overseas.

Following quickly on their heels were similar ‘club’ night bingo-based promoters, including many in the Drag and LGBTQ+ communities, each creating bingo nights at various venues around the UK, all of which have taken bingo to new audiences.

The entertainment element of these nights has been the winning component, but the challenge for many has been finding suitably sized and licensed venues. What if you already have the venue?

A number of licensed bingo club operators have tentatively explored alternative bingo nights: after hours (post 9.30 pm following regular session), after dark, players

bingo, looking to expand the appeal of bingo, with Majestic Bingo’s ‘Clubingo’ brand growing out of their ongoing company development strategy, Generations.

We spoke with Mark Jepp, Managing Director of Majestic Bingo about Majestic’s journey into club land and the development of the now trademarked Clubingo® and No Limits Bingo®.

How did Clubingo® get it’s start?

Clubingo®, came about as part of our wider company strategy, Generations, which is aimed at segmenting our customer base, creating and tailoring our bingo products and offers to the various different age demographics who visit our clubs, without alienating existing loyal customers.

Generations is a piece of work we conducted with our marketing partner, Creative 62, where the demographic was broken down into sub groups, that cover millennials, generation X and Z, and baby boomers.

Who thought about bringing Clubingo® to Majestic?

The Clubingo® concept was always in our minds, and originally had a working title of ‘Saturday Social’. This started our journey to create a fun, engaging night of bingo ‘with a difference’ unashamedly aimed at a younger age group. This then morphed into the ‘Big Night Out’, a name born from our online initiative during lockdown called The Big Night In. It was at this point that Stuart Booth became available from his previous role at Mecca Bingo, meaning the stars somewhat aligned, and Clubingo® was born.

/ Winter 2022

Featured article: Clubingo

What were the business objectives?

As part of our Generations strategy Clubingo® has been created specifically to appeal to a younger audience, delivering an entertaining bingo experience that appeals to both existing and new players in the younger age demographic.

“The Big Night Out” launched in July with the original objective being to grow existing visits but also to find a reason for players to extend their time with us, as traditionally the majority of players leave after the main session. These events are bridging the gap between old and new, through making the overall presentation of bingo and other games more graphically rich supported by sound beds, resulting in a much more fun and immersive experience.

Big Night Out helped to develop a clear pathway to launching and delivering a series of larger events including a number of different concepts, which feature our new bingo show called ‘No Limits Bingo®’. This is bingo aimed at a younger audience although we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the diverse age ranges that have attended and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

No Limits Bingo® is best described as a crazy night of fun games with a live host and in-house DJ playing bingo games where the audience is actively encouraged to sing, shout, dance and just have fun. With massive sound and lighting systems, dancers and all sorts of weird and wonderful prizes (think Life-size celebrity cut-outs, huge inflatable unicorns and giant cuddly toys), the emphasis is on fun.

It’s cheeky, a bit naughty but the reaction has been amazing. These nights then transform again when a top Clubland style DJ act takes to the stage and delivers 60 plus minutes of top notch club anthems and the crowd gets up to rave for the rest of the night.

All our events to date have been a sell out and the customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments include “The atmosphere was brilliant, it was such a good night”, “Everything about the night was amazing”, “The act was brilliant, very funny bingo, loved the girl hosting it”, “Took me 2 days to recover from my hangover but can’t wait to go again”, “Best Night out I’ve had in years”.

explore new ways of utilising our clubs. Many of the events we are delivering do not impact on our current sessions but rather focus on the times the clubs would normally be emptying. By keeping the club full and continuing the night into the early hours, this is delivering positive financial results. The monthly events in our clubs have given us a material spike in new member registrations and these people are making return visits, creating a pipeline of new members for our regular sessions.

How successful were the original trials in Mansfield and Barrow?

Very! All our original expectations were surpassed and delivered very encouraging results with incremental growth in visits and profit on each subsequent event. 2022 will see us expand to other clubs across the Majestic estate and beyond, with a mix of Big Night Out, larger events, and headline acts, all under our ‘Clubingo® Presents’ banner. We are also in discussions with other businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector to take Clubingo® ‘on tour’.

We’ve also teamed up with ‘Roshambo Live’ to bring our Clubingo® visitors a new and interactive experience where the audience participate using their own device supported by our in club audio visual systems (provide by Willow Communications) to give another element of fun. We hope this will be the first of many collaborations with our new partners.

➜

For further details visit www.clubingo.co.uk

How has this move fitted into the broader business plan?

Bingo quite rightly continues to be our key focus, however as we work to rebuild the business in the post pandemic landscape, we recognise the need to diversify and

bingoconnect.co.uk

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Winter 2022 /

News round up

32

Bingo

Variety

The Bingo Association continues to support Variety, where possible, in what looks likely to be another incredibly challenging year.

T

he Association has been proud to support ‘Variety, the Children’s Charity’ who help to improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged and disabled children throughout the UK. Since the relationship began in 2015, the Association has raised over £1.6 million which to date has funded a total of 34 Variety Sunshine Coaches for schools, non-profit making groups and organisations to use for the benefit of sick, disabled or disadvantaged children.

Each Sunshine Coach offers specially adapted and accessible transport for educational, recreational and vocational purposes, taking disabled and disadvantaged children out into the community and on fantastic days out, activities they would otherwise be unable to undertake. These important activities help them to feel supported and less isolated, integrating them into local communities and allowing them to experience new people, places and activities.

Each coach is presented directly to the recipient school/non-profit organisation usually alongside the local MP, enabling the Association to see first-hand the direct impact of members’ donations, making a very real difference and changing lives:

➜ Bus presentation, Bromfield School Leeds May 2019

wherever possible the Association also tries to ensure that each Sunshine coach is awarded to a school/nonprofit organisation in a region where a member has venues that will have raised funds towards the coach.

This helps to promote and harness the support of local clubs and their customers and importantly ensures that money raised locally goes directly back into the community.

In addition to the Sunshine Coaches funds raised by Association members for Variety helps fund very specialised apparatus for disabled children, such as powered and sports wheelchairs, hoists to assist in the bathroom or bedroom, and sensory rooms, helping families who couldn’t afford to pay for this kind of expensive equipment.

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34

11

4

3

Grants

Great Days Out / Winter 2022

Youth Clubs

Wheelchairs

Sunshine Coaches

Organisations

Over

£1.6m Raised to date

£1m £750k £500k £250k £0

News round up

33

Get ready for bingo’s BIGGEST party National Bingo Day – 27th June 2022

F

ollowing the success of the UK’s first ever National Bingo Day in 2021, it’s time to start planning this year’s big bingo

party!

National Bingo Day 2021 proved to be a great success, popular with operators and players. In addition to The Bingo Association and all its members signing up, online platforms and operators including Playtech, Pragmatic Play and 888 also joined the party.

This year National Bingo Day, 27th June, falls on a Monday and is a great excuse to get everyone to bingo on the night. The week prior to National Bingo Day is also a great opportunity

to raise awareness of bingo, in the build-up to the day.

The National Bingo Game will once again be looking to support participating clubs with special games, both in the lead up to the day and on National Bingo Day itself.

➜

The National Bingo Day website will be updated in February and alerts sent out to those who have registered with the website. if you are not already registered you can do so at anytime by visiting www.nationalbingoday.co.uk

www.cowellsarrow.co.uk

Higher or L

ower

Bingo

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YOUR COMPLETE GAMEPLAY, ENTERTAINMENT & FUNDRAISING SYSTEM

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Winter 2022 /

Box

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In profile: Jason Beauchamp-Hughes

Tripping the light fantastic: booze, bingo and ballroom Accepting the post of General Manager at Roman Bank Skegness with Majestic Bingo in 2015, felt a little bit like coming home for Jason Beauchamp-Hughes, who had been born only twenty three miles away in Boston.

S ➜ Jason Beauchamp-Hughes, General Manager at Majestic Bingo Skegness

/ Winter 2022

tudying Marketing and Finance at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montford University) Jason landed himself a job with Everards Brewery in Leicester, learning the bar trade. While completing his degree he realised that life as a publican was not for him, nor would it make best use of what he has studied, so he left and returned home to plan his next move.

Little did he realise that it would be his bar experience that would lead him to bingo.

While wondering what he wanted to do work wise, he noticed that Gala Bingo in Peterborough were recruiting for Team Members, one of which was asking for bar experience. He applied thinking that it might be a good stop gap and was accepted, starting what would be a twenty year stint with Gala Bingo.

Relocating to Peterborough was a good move as during his time with Gala Jason held a number of posts at different clubs, all of which were just about commutable from there.

While at Gala Peterborough Jason moved from Team Member to Team Leader, before becoming Department Controller and Keyholder, following which he decided to apply for the post of Deputy Manager and a place on the management training scheme. Though not successful on his first attempt an inspirational GM encouraged him to try again and he found he was successful, taking up the post of

Assistant Manager at Gala Grantham.

Jason’s family were not greatly pleased by his career in bingo, as up to this point it had not tapped into much, if anything, of what he had studied for at university. They felt his time there had been a waste, but that was something that was set to change.

His degree in marketing and finance was quickly put to great use when he became a General Manager, working at Gala Grantham, Leyton, Milton Keynes, Luton and King Lynn.

Jason said, “Working in bingo is something that I think many people initially just discover by accident or fall into, which seems strange as it can be so rewarding and one of the best environments to work in, regardless of your role.

“That is not to say that bingo is a job is for everyone. Certainly as a GM just because you have management and retail experience does not mean you are going to love it – for many I think it’s a bit marmite. You either love it or hate it and once it’s in your blood it’s hard to step away. It’s what I call the ‘bingo bungee’. Even if you try to leave, it will pull you back, tugging at you and drawing you back into people and their lives, customers and staff alike – I fell foul of it myself.”

Jason left bingo, or at least tried to, in 2015, looking for a change and a different direction, taking a post at a regional Amazon Warehouse for six months. He realised that while the lack of direct responsibility and never being

In profile: Jason Beauchamp-Hughes

able to take work home was great, it had perhaps left too little a challenge, so he uploaded his CV onto a job site and very quickly found himself working for Praesepe in Kettering Cashino. Shortly after that he noticed that Majestic were recruiting for a GM at their Skegness bingo club, Roman Bank Bingo.

“I knew I wanted to return to bingo” Jason said, “but I was not sure about working for an independent operator and taking on a club that was a predominantly seasonal business – something I had not done before.

“Six years on I am very glad that I was offered, and accepted, the role at Roman Bank. The seasonality took a little getting used to, but in every other regard I feel right at home. Majestic allow GM’s to get more involved in bingo policy for their club, which is great, as so many clubs operate in very local markets that a central policy just does not always connect with. Also, me and my partner Bob relocated to a small village about thirty minutes outside Skegness, so it feels like being home in more ways than one.

My involvement in the Local Chamber of Commerce also saw me enter Roman Bank in the 2017 Skegness Business Awards, where we were a finalist.

“As a smaller club I also know around 75-80% of my customers on sight and

➜ Roman Bank, Skegness

“ It can be so rewarding and one of the best environments to work in regardless of your role.” by first name, something that is just not possible in bigger venues. This works really well for me and I think is a key part of what bingo is about and what makes it special, for staff and customers. ➜ Jason Beauchamp-Hughes

bingoconnect.co.uk

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It is about being part of something and connected to a community.”

Not a bingo player himself, Jason does take his father in-law now and again, and prefers instead to follow ballroom.

With ‘Strictly..’ a firm favourite he has been to live shows every year for the past 12 years and goes to as many dance related shows as possible.

“I would really like to learn Ballroom dancing but can’t really commit to the timings of classes, though in the not too distant future I certainly shall.

My dancing is not up to competition standard, but before the pandemic I had signed up to compete in Strictly Lincolnshire for local charity the Butterfly Hospice and am hoping that this will still take place at some point.

“When I re-joined bingo it was great to once again be part of that close, if sometimes annoyingly close, community.

For many customers we are a part of their lives and in some cases families – that’s something that doesn’t happen in many places, let alone commercial companies and is something that I really appreciate. I don’t think you can work in bingo if you don’t love people of all ages and have a sense of fun.”

Winter 2022 /

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In profile: Shaun Homewood

A born entertainer Bingo’s Answer to Gary Lineker, but he will share his crisps

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haun Homewood, the current Duty Manager at Mecca Swansea is an English export who was born to entertain, which he does regularly in club and with infectious enthusiasm. From as young as he can remember he wanted to entertain and his talent has seen him perform on more than one occasion on television and in front of Royalty.

Born in Dartford, Kent, in 1970, Shaun shares his place of birth with two very famous performers – Mick Jagger and the legendary Keith Richards – though his lifestyle is a little less rock and roll!

Having attended The Downs School in Dartford his passion for performance grew and, being so close to central London and theatre land he was eager to get out in the world and start learning. Knowing how competitive showbiz was Shaun knew he would have to be flexible about where he started work and was thrilled to land his first job at 18 with Pontins, in Brean Sands on the Somerset Coast.

“It was my first career job” Shaun said, “and I was proud to be a Bluecoat for Pontins at Brean, which is still there today. It let me find my feet and get a feel for what I wanted to do, which was to sing and be with people. The job involved singing, dancing and looking after the holiday makers, running competitions and activities: looking back it was amazing early training for bingo!”

While working for Pontin’s Shaun developed his singing skills and began taking on some professional singing and DJ jobs. His singing talents have seen him perform on three separate occasions on television, in addition to which he performed with the London Gospel Choir in aid of charity, in front of Princess Margaret, performing ‘I Believe I Can Fly.’ Shaun’s singing skills also earned him the unlikely accolade of featuring on bags of Walkers Crips, for their then ‘Salt ‘n’ Lineker’ range – thanks to the efforts of his agent.

While Lineker has remained with the crisp brand, Shaun took his particular flavour and talents to bingo, where he got a warm welcome moving to South Wales in 1990. His first job there was with Castle Bingo, in Swansea, where he met

/ Winter 2022

➜ Shaun with family dog

his wife Donna, who was, and still is, an occasional player. Working in social services, Donna finds bingo can be a great break from the challenges of a very demanding role, working with special needs.

Donna and Shaun joined forces professionally and romantically, performing as a singing duo, also then getting married in 2012. Together they have two children, Ben 27 and Ashley 25.

South Wales and bingo have become very much Shaun’s home and he has never thought about moving back east.

Over the years he has worked for Top Ten Bingo in Neath, before heading back to Castle Bingo and then on to Mecca Swansea, where he has held a number of roles starting out as a customer service assistant.

When on duty at the club Shaun is the main event, but even when off duty he likes an occasional game, with his last night out at bingo, as a customer, landing him a £600 house! Outside of the club it’s building work in the garden that literally keeps him grounded.

In profile: Shaun Homewood

“ What I like most about Mecca is the people.

It’s like one big happy family, from Members to Staff.”

“What I like most about Mecca is the people.” Shaun said, “It’s like one big happy family, from members to staff. We also have fun in the job and loads of banter with our members. I think we all work very hard to create a great environment that players, and even staff, all want to keep coming back to. I know I do.”

➜ Photo top: Shaun and and Donna on holiday ➜ Photo above: Shaun and Donna as performers ➜ Photo right: Shaun at work on a party night

In Profile

If you would like to feature in our ‘In Profile’ section, or know someone who you think would make a great profile contact us at info@bingoconnect.co.uk bingoconnect.co.uk

Winter 2022 /

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Featured article: Willow

Medium and message Entertainment technology company Willow Communications have been serving gaming and leisure operators since 1989.

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illow supply, install and integrate a range of media, sound, display and lighting equipment that most bingo, casino and AGC operators will be familiar with.

Whilst Covid initially brought trading to a halt, it presented the opportunity for many venues and operators to review systems and undertake upgrades, making 2020 and 2021 an extremely unusual, but busy time for Willow.

We asked Steve Barlow the founder of the family firm what it has been like.

How have the last 18 months impacted Willow as a business and in terms of your work with bingo clubs?

Initially it was just awful. We like many businesses had to make some horrible decisions that affected people’s lives through no fault of their own.

Something I hope never happens again. However, coming out of the early Covid restrictions gave us time to meet with our friends and clients in bingo and to look at ways our various platforms and technologies could be / Winter 2022

adapted and deployed further to help with new concepts and with their existing business models and formats.

Were lots of your team on furlough?

Initially everyone bar two were on furlough. With the first lockdown everything stopped overnight, so we had little choice. Myself and Sally, our Finance Director, kept working so that the company could tick over. I also took this time to get our ISO27001 accreditation, which is needed for our Gaming Licences.

When were you able to come back to work?

We started to bring various members of the team back in June 2020. We have somehow managed to remain open and busy since then.

Our core business is working in land-based gaming, but we are fortunate to have clients in other sectors, some of whom used the forced closure periods to update the audio visual services in their estate.

This helped keep Willow open for business.

What has Willow been working on?

We had just completed the launch roll out of our new Event Bingo and Entertainment platform to Park Holidays and Majestic Bingo as the Covid lockdown hit in March 2020.

So, we took the opportunity over the Summer of 2020 to push the development of Event even faster.

This investment paid off as Event was rolled out throughout Parkdean Resorts and Away Resorts in 2021, and is now also in a number of retail bingo operators venues.

In the second half of 2020 we were fortunate to be awarded the Merkur Slots digital signage and audio visual roll out, which continues to keep us busy. We also completed LED main stage displays for Club 2000 and Club 3000.

In early 2021 we completed an estate wide upgrade to our Event platform in Majestic Bingo that now allows them to run optional jackpot and print on demand bingo games.

One jackpot game – Don’t Find the Nine – went on to win Game Of The Year at the International Gaming Awards 2021.

Featured article: Willow

What are the very latest pieces of kit What are the very latest pieces of kit that will be game changers for venues and improving customer experience?

We continue to add new features and content to our Event Bingo and Entertainment platform. In 2021 we fully integrated our BIGD Bingo Jackpot Manager and for 2022 we will integrate our Command audio visual controller and scheduler – this has wide usage applications, facilitating the high energy entertainment style of bingo that is becoming increasingly popular and finding new ground in retail bingo. Mecca Luton uses the Event Command application to schedule and control the venue bingo screen displays, music, sound and lighting (both house and stage).

Event now includes our more powerful BIGD engine that enables operators to drive LED stage displays with game information and dynamic advertising simultaneously: the Club 3000 Wigan stage display looks spectacular using this technology. The new Mecca Luton club takes the main stage display functionality to a new level with the integration of our Event display technology and a Digibird video wall processor. Technology we have previously installed at venues like the London Hippodrome Casino.

We have several exciting new retail bingo games being launched this year, a couple of which will be industry firsts and we are thrilled about several partnerships we have formed to deliver our platforms to a wider client base than we could ever manage on our own. This includes a platform for the National Bingo Association – National Bingo Presents.

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➜ Installation at Parkdean Resorts

What do you see as priorities in 2022 for bingo clubs/venues?

The opportunity to be able to trade in a stable environment, ideally without Covid restrictions or at least with a consistent ‘new normal’. This will improve customer confidence and encourage guests to return in greater numbers, in turn generating muchneeded improvements to cash-flow and returns for the industry.

➜

For further information visit www.willowcommunications.com

bingoconnect.co.uk

➜ Installation at Mecca, Luton

Winter 2022 /

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Featured article: Governance & Compliance

Helping Bingo operators to stay compliant

By Paul Swindon, Head of Governance & Compliance at The Bingo Association.

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he issue of compliance is rarely the sexiest of subjects, but potentially the most mission critical for any gambling organisation: particularly those operating in a highly regulated sector like bingo.

Get it wrong and the consequences can be severe.

Many trade associations, by dint of their representative nature, take a leading role in their respective sectors, acting as a conduit between operators and regulator/government, in addition to facilitating sharing of expertise and best practice, to inform responses and aid development of resources that benefit all.

The Bingo Association is the leading trade body and sector resource for the land-based licensed bingo industry in Great Britain and the work of its Standing Compliance Committee critical for all that work and operate in the sector.

As well-regulated as land-based bingo is, firmly located at the community and soft end of the gambling spectrum, the compliance (licensing and regulatory) requirements are no less onerous than for businesses operating much higher risk gambling activities. The plethora of ‘red tape’ to adhere to in order to remain compliant is not for the fainthearted!

The Association’s Standing Compliance Committee is a subcommittee of the BA Executive Council [BA Board] and comprises nominated individuals, each of whom are experienced compliance professionals within member companies. Collectively members of the Committee represent a range of different sized operators, helping to ensure that the views of all types and sizes of operators are heard and represented equally: an important / Winter 2022

consideration when responding to industry-wide consultations, as the perspectives and needs of different operators can be quite different.

The Bingo Association’s Compliance Committee comprises of the following individuals: Amanda Kiernan (Merkur), Daryl Davidson (Graves Cumberland (Opera Bingo)), Dave Robson (Shipley’s), David Hill (Britannia hotels (Pontins)), David Lucas (Licensing Consultant), Eric Howell (Majestic Bingo), Jemma Carter-French (Castle Bingo), Joanne Craig (Club 3000), Stephen Morrison (Carlton Bingo), Steve Smyth and Adele Farrell (Rank/Mecca), William Shipley (Shipley Estates), Simon Reynolds (Buzz Bingo) and the Association team of Miles Baron, Peta Reynolds and myself.

The work of the Committee is focused on discussing, considering and making recommendations the latest compliance issues affecting land-based bingo operators including gambling policy, consultation responses and industry codes. The results of these discussion are very real and include such vital sector tools as Self Exclusion, Age Verification, Code of Conduct and written consultation responses, all of which also feed into the Operators Handbook – the ‘bible’ for land-based bingo operators.

➜

The latest version of ‘Getting it Right – Code of Conduct for Social Responsibility’ is now available to download from The Bingo Association website: www.bingo-association.co.uk

The Bingo Association Annual Charity Golf Day & Evening Dinner in support of Variety The Children’s Charity

The Bingo Association’s biggest social and charity event is back – the return of the BA Annual Charity Golf Day & Evening Dinner,which takes place on Thursday 9th June 2022 at the beautiful Champneys Mottram Hall Luxury Spa & Golf Hotel in Cheshire.

Set within 270 acres of stunning parkland, this 18 hole, Par 72 Championship course is a challenge for even the most seasoned golfers.

Charity Golf and Dinner BA members can bring up to 3 guests and includes: bacon roll & coffee, 18 holes on Mottram Hall’s Championship course plus a 3 course evening dinner, prizes and charity raffle.

£85

If you would like to sponsor a trophy or a prize please contact Sharon Salmon for more information via email: sharon@nationalbingo.co.uk

per player

Dinner Only

£35

We are really hoping to increase the number of female golfers participating, so ladies please dust off those clubs and do come and join us!

per person

We a expect re tee she ing the quickly et to fill up so and ma don’t delay ke your di a note in ary it, miss – miss out!

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Featured article: Savanta

Bingo in a time of Covid Covid-19 has now been with us officially for two years: unofficially, a little longer. In that time leisure businesses have had to adapt to varying restrictions, periods of enforced closure and varying levels of consumer risk assessment and knowledge, all against a backdrop of media overload.

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o how do bingo customers really feel about continuing to play and returning to clubs, what else have they been doing and what are the key touch points that influence their assessment and decisions?

The Bingo Association commissioned leading research company Savanta to explore bingo players’ issues, attitudes and feelings about returning to playing bingo, in the present and future, and to gauge their opinions.

Between 7th and 21st November 1,167 bingo players, who had played in the last three years, were interviewed via an online survey. The results reveal a bingo audience that still love their game, with three quarters saying they enjoy playing in physical venues, though more having tried bingo online since the pandemic, with some age groups having greater preferences and sensitivities than others.

Unsurprisingly, vaccination for Covid / Winter 2022

is the single greatest factor boosting confidence for people to return to bingo venues along with Covid safety procedures and measures in venue.

Player behaviour More than 62% of bingo players have attended a physical venue in the last twelve months, with younger age groups almost twice as likely to have done so, and 69% have played online.

A quarter of bingo players have been playing for 10 years or more and across all groups players are most likely to play once a week or a couple of times a month, with evenings more popular than afternoons or mornings, and weekday evenings the most popular time overall.

Impact of Covid Younger Bingo players in the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups are most likely to say they have been playing more Bingo over the last 3 months than before the

pandemic, while those in the older age categories (55-64 and 65+) most likely to say they are playing less than before.

The majority of Bingo players say they enjoy playing Bingo in physical venues, seven in ten (69%) also say they are comfortable with the idea of playing in a physical venue, since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Older Bingo players however are most likely to disagree with being comfortable playing in a physical venue, with half (49%) of 55-64 year olds saying they are not playing as much as before the pandemic.

Almost three in five (58%) 1834 year old Bingo players say their attitude towards visiting physical Bingo venues has become more positive. Those in the older age groups are most likely to say their attitude hasn’t changed (55-64: 45%) or has become more negative, with three in ten (30%) 55-64 year olds saying this.

Getting back to bingo clubs Of those with slightly negative sentiments towards returning to clubs the single greatest reason is fear of contracting or spreading Covid-19.

Conversely, being vaccinated against Covid-19 is the single largest reason for increased confidence in returning.

Of those relatively new to bingo the opportunity to win prizes/cash and introduced by a family member were the two most popular reason.

Of those who had not played Bingo in a venue in the last 6 months, over half said they are likely to return in the next 6 months.

While one in six (14%) say increased COVID-19 safety measures in Bingo venues is important to determining whether they would play Bingo more often in a physical venue, a similar proportion (13%) say that increased prize money would do the same.

Featured article: Savanta

Not returning to bingo Of those Bingo players who felt they were unlikely to return to Bingo in a venue the main reasons were: • Covid-19 • Cost of playing • Online bingo • Loss of interest in bingo Other activities The research also revealed that the pandemic and lockdowns had led to bingo players spending time on a range of other activities, that decreases in Universal Credit was

impacting some players and that loss of interest was also impacted by changes in players friendship group/s.

While the impact of Covid-19 has certainly been felt by bingo clubs, the product remains robust with, restrictions permitting, increased appetite for leisure opportunities in a safe and well managed environment.

This latest research reveals Bingo players view venues favourably, giving a 71-81% satisfaction rating across nine individual criteria, including Covid-19 safety measures, food and beverage offer, and friendliness of staff.

In the last 12 months

62%

of bingo players have attended a physical venue

69%

have played online

58%

of 18-34 year olds have a more positive attitude towards visiting a physical venue

➜

bingoconnect.co.uk

An Executive Summary of the findings is available to members of The Bingo Association from their website: www.bingo-association.co.uk

Winter 2022 /

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Featured article: Full House

Back by popular demand: Full House Back in August 2020 BBC One Wales broadcast a one-off, hour long programme, about the lives of a group of bingo players and staff, at Judge’s Bingo in Tonypandy, called Full House, and found themselves with an unexpected hit on their hands.

Attracting record viewing figures, for live broadcast and on demand audiences, BBC Wales have now commissioned a full series of eight half-hour episodes.

T

he original programme, shot in September 2019 and ready to air just as Covid hit in March 2020, was broadcast by BBC One Wales on the 19th August 2020 and again the following night.

Reflecting the warmth and humour of bingo and the Welsh Valleys, the characters and situations were relatable not only in Wales, but UK wide; it’s the stuff of life, whether you play bingo or not.

Full House was the third most popular programme in August 2020 for BBC Wales, attracting an initial audience of 176,000: a fifth of the total available audience on the air date tuned in to watch, with nearly 11,000 additional requests on the BBC’s nationally available on demand service, iPlayer.

The programme was produced by independent production company Tuesday’s Child, with the co-operation and support of Majestic Bingo, but who was the driving force for getting the program made and why? That would be Jacci Parry, producer at Tuesday’s Child, born in Liverpool and now living in South Wales.

“I love bingo! I grew up with the game.”

Jacci said.

/ Winter 2022

“Every summer I used to go and stay with my granny Gertie in Southport and she’d take me (to bingo) with her four times a week. There would be my granny, my aunty Joyce and cousins around two tables and I’d play on their used cards. I’d listen whilst they shared their news and gossiped about family and friends: probably over-hearing things I shouldn’t!

“For many communities, then as now, the bingo club is so much more than a place for winning money. It really is a social hub, bringing together families and groups of friends and they all bring their lives and stories with them when they play. I’ve always felt there to be something magical about these spaces and stories to be told.”

In order to pitch the programme to a broadcaster and secure funding Jacci needed the support of an operator who was willing to work with her. As a player Jacci knew that she wanted an independent club and a real community club at that. Having approached a number of operators Jacci finally connected with James Taylor, HR Director at Majestic Bingo.

After some initial discussions James took the proposal to MD Mark Jepp: “When we were first approached by Tuesday’s Child I was clear that I wouldn’t want to do anything that was detrimental to bingo or its customers, or anything that could be

Featured article: Full House

perceived as being mean TV. But after the initial chats with Jacci and doing my own due diligence by reviewing some of their other productions, and hearing their thoughts on the programme about how it would shine a positive light on bingo, I was sold.

“The leap of faith, if you can call it that, was clearly worth it as the end result, in my view and the view of many others, is that it is probably the best programme about bingo that has ever aired, and fantastically covers why people go, their loves and their lives; all in a bingo setting which is a colourful backdrop to the programme.”

Once BBC Wales gave the green light, Jacci and team spent a lot of time out and about in the community, visiting the club and chatting to regulars - between games naturally.

Jacci said, “From the outset we were made to feel very welcome in Tonypandy. Pre-production never felt like hard work as the club regulars are such great characters and talkers they made casting easy. There were other great people and stories we had to drop from the initial programme as we were overwhelmed with material.

“Essentially we wanted to establish the broad range of people who play and love bingo: it’s no longer the pursuit of older women as it was maybe 30 or 40 years ago. What we found is that the demographic is skewing much younger, so people

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in their 20s and 30s play, couples, families - many of them multi-generational – and they all love a game of bingo. Also the Rhondda is a diverse community and we wanted to reflect this too.

“The game is almost incidental. Of course winning a tenner or even £5,000 is a bonus, especially in a community where for many, money is tight, but for me the real story is about the people who are rooted here.”

The combination of community and characters has proved to be a winning format with both audiences and the BBC, who have now commissioned a series of eight half hour episodes, that will initially air on BBC One Wales in the prime 7pm slot. Shooting for the series starts in February and will feature some old and new faces.

Mark Jepp said, “When Jacci called James to give us the good news that BBC Wales had commissioned a further eight part series to be shown during prime time, we were over the moon, as this will benefit both Majestic by showcasing our community club in Tonypandy, and the industry as a whole.”

We asked Jacci why she thinks people enjoyed the program so much?

“It’s a joyful watch, full of compelling and surprising stories and big on humour. It’s full of characters who will become your friends and you’ll want to return to them time and time again.”

➜

Full House is anticipated to air in May 2022, with potential for a second series.

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Featured article: Economic update from EY

No news is good news

Highlights from the autumn budget

By Chris Sanger and Steven Effingham from EY

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he Autumn Budget has been called a “Blue Peter” Budget.

In reference to the programs’ model making segment which saw presenters regularly say ‘and here’s one I prepared earlier’: many of the budget highlights were prepared earlier in the year, either at the Spring Budget or in the month before. However, as the unsteady recovery from Covid proceeds, this is very much a case of no news being good news.

Perhaps the main highlight of the Autumn Budget for the Bingo industry was the fact that no changes were proposed to the tax treatment of the game or its operators.

More practically, the Budget announcement of the outcome of the Business Rates Review (in a document ominously called the Business Rates Review: Final Report) and subsequent publication on 30 November (so-called “Tax Administration and Maintenance Day”) of a “technical consultation” on business rates are worthy of note.

The latest consultation, which will run until 22 February 2022, and covers England only, seeks views on how the Government proposes to implement the measures announced at the Budget. It makes it clear that the Government is not seeking views on the conclusions of the business rates review or the contents of the Final Report. The scope of the consultation does not, therefore, extend to whether the measures announced in / Winter 2022

the business rates review should be extended or adapted.

The consultation covers the following areas: 1.

Measures to enable more frequent revaluations 2. Improvement relief 3. Support for investment in green plant and machinery 4. Other administrative changes More frequent revaluations The consultation addresses the provision of information (Chapter 1), the supporting compliance regime (Chapter 2) and appeals changes and transparency (Chapter 3).

The Government’s objective is to enable sustainable three-yearly revaluations through changes which are proportionate and minimise the burden on business.

To help ensure the sustainability of a more frequent revaluations cycle, businesses will need to provide information relevant to their valuation – such as changes in lease agreements or new improvements to their property – to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). There will be a single online destination for ratepayers or their agents to access to comply with the new obligations.

Where an obligation has been triggered (for example where there has been a change to the property) then ratepayers will be required to log in to the online service to provide their information in a 30 calendar day

window.

For rental information, the requirement to provide information will be triggered when a formal agreement (or amended agreement) becomes legally binding. In the case of an informal agreement, it will be the date the rent (or any subsequent amended rent) is payable.

An annual confirmation stage will require ratepayers to confirm within 30 calendar days of 31 March each year that they have met their obligations under the duty during the previous year and that the details held by the VOA remain accurate and up to date.

Any sanctions regime to support the obligation is not expected to be introduced before 2026.

Improvement relief A new improvement relief to be introduced from April 2023 (Chapter 4) is intended to reduce the cost to businesses investing in their premises as they grow, enabling them to adapt to meet rising demand and enhance productivity. The relief will also allow businesses to make improvements to their premises that support a transition to net zero and enhance employee wellbeing by upgrading the physical work environment. It will be reviewed in 2028.

The consultation sets out further detail on qualifying types of improvements, conditions around occupancy and who will be eligible for relief, as well as

Featured article: Economic update from EY

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“ The main highlight of the Autumn Budget for the Bingo industry was the fact that no changes were proposed to the tax treatment of the game or its operators.”

how the relief will be administered and interact with other reliefs.

To receive the improvement relief, ratepayers will need to demonstrate that their property meets two conditions: • The VOA must be satisfied that the improvements meet the definition of qualifying works - the ‘qualifying works’ condition • The relevant local billing authority must be satisfied that in the period since the qualifying works commenced the property has remained occupied and that the ratepayer has not changed – the ‘occupation’ condition.

In order to fall within the meaning of qualifying works, the improvements will need to produce: • An increase to the size of a building or the internal useable space within a hereditament • Other improvements or upgrades to the property’s physical state which might include addition of heating, air conditioning, or raised flooring • Addition of other rateable plant and machinery The consultation gives examples of works that would or would not meet the qualifying works condition.

Investment in green plant and machinery From April 2023, the Government will introduce an exemption for eligible plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and bingoconnect.co.uk

storage, and a 100% relief for eligible low-carbon heat networks that have their own rates bill.

The consultation (Chapter 5) sets out further detail on the specific technologies in scope of the proposed exemption (such as rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage) and the criteria for the relief for heat networks.

Other changes Finally, the consultation also sets out in Chapter 6 that the Government would bring forward changes to improve the operation of the central rating list, and the rules under which local authorities may award Small Business Rates Relief and other discretionary rate relief.

Although we have had the Government’s ‘Final Report’, this is not the final consultation. The Government intends to consult on a number of other changes in due course, including on avoidance and evasion in relation to business rates reliefs. The Government will also continue to consider the arguments for and against an Online Sales Tax which it is noted would, if introduced, raise revenue to fund business rates reductions. There appears to be someway still to go in coming to a long-term business rates proposal.

Post-Budget developments Following the Budget , and in response to the surge in the Omicron

variant, several additional support measures were announced in the run-up to Christmas. These include UK-wide measures such as the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, which will be reintroduced from mid-January 2022, as well as individual measures covering the different countries across GB. England, Scotland and Wales have all announced further business rates relief, plus additional measures targeted on the hospitality sector.

➜ Chris Sanger is Tax Policy Leader at EY and Steven Effingham Tax Policy Director at EY. The EY tax policy network has advisers in more than 85 countries and advises clients on how to effect policy change directly and through strategically engaging policy makers. www.ey.com

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Featured article: Regulatory change

All change

A further year of regulatory change ahead Nick Arron of Poppleston Allen LLP explains why change will remain a constant in 2022.

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e have had to get used to change.

COVID-19 resulted in unprecedented new laws to govern our bingo industry – when must we close, when can we open? And again close, open…. changing permitted hours, mandatory seating, table service, masks, distancing, signage, alcohol with or without food – at times all dependent on your location. At one stage in late 2020 statutory instruments were being published almost daily. And we learned to live with this change.

This theme of change is set to continue in 2022, although hopefully for different reasons.

The seeds were sown early last year, with the DCMS Review of the Gambling Act 2005, Terms of Reference and Call for Evidence Consultation. The consultation contained 45 questions, which went to the very core of gambling regulation, seeking opinion on the role of the Gambling Commission, on increasing protection online, limiting stakes, speed and prize limits, and on harm caused by gambling advertising. The DCMS review sought opinions on changes to the regulation of landbased gambling, and the powers attributed to licensing and Local Authorities in their responsibilities in respect of Premises Licences granted under the Gambling Act 2005.

These changes could amount to wholesale change of the Gambling / Winter 2022

Act 2005, potentially with a new Gambling Act 2023 or 2024? For bingo clubs land-based regulation could move away from the council licensing authorities “aiming to permit” the use of premises for gambling, to give councils greater control over gambling venues. Should this happen, it would not be based on evidence of issues with the operation of those venues (as there are few), but rather political will based on morals and ethics.

A broad brush of regulation The DCMS Call for Evidence and Review had greater focus on online gambling. But we all know that changes to remote licensing and regulation can and do bleed into the regulation of land-based bingo, as we have seen with the development of the concept of Customer Interaction in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), primarily aimed at remote operators, but implemented in the LCCP across the entire industry.

Inevitable delays due to the pandemic The Government had originally said that they would respond to the Call for Evidence and publish a white paper before the end of 2021, with statutory changes potentially in late 2022. As I write this article it appears that the Government are delaying their response until the spring of 2022. This delay is a result of the roller coaster that is the COVID-19 pandemic (or the

“ The theme of change is set to continue in 2022, although hopefully for different reasons.”

Coronacoaster!) and is also probably due to the changes at the helm of gambling regulation during 2021.

Back in June of last year, Andrew Rhodes was appointed as the interim Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission. He will be in post for 18 months, whilst the Commission find someone to fill the role permanently.

The previous Chief Executive, Neil

Featured article: Regulatory change

MacArthur, left his role last March, and it was decided to recruit an interim CEO in order to allow the successor to the then Chairman Bill Moyles, whose term of office ended in September 2021, to appoint a permanent Chief Executive.

This could happen late 2022.

The new Commission Chairman is Marcus Boyle, a former strategy chief at the accountancy firm Deloitte.

It is thought that his experience at Deloitte, dealing with clients transferring their businesses, has been seen by the DCMS as relevant in modernising the Gambling Commission, with the changes expected following the Government review of the Gambling Act. The political merry-go-round In 2021 we also witnessed changes to the political leadership of gambling, with Oliver Dowden out and Nadine Dorries replacing him as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Chris Philp replacing John Whittingdale as our minister. Let’s hope this is the end of the recruitment process and that we have some stability in government and at the Commission during 2022.

The significant personnel changes during 2021, likely delayed the government response to the Call for Evidence and Review of the Gambling Act 2005 as each will want to imprint their personalities on the outcome.

We are also hearing that the government response may not provide the certainty we crave. The view had been that the response would detail legislative and regulatory changes.

The latest we hear is that the response maybe permeated with further

questions, rather than suggested regulation. This will be frustrating.

Open all hours?

The Bingo Association submitted a response to the DCMS Call for Evidence, which contained evidence to support changes to the regulations to provide greater flexibility and diversification to the bingo game.

Firstly, the DCMS have been asked to consider the removal of default hours, which currently limit bingo to 9am until midnight. In recent years there has been a surge in interest in late night social bingo entertainment such as BADA Bingo, Batty Bingo, Bonkers Bingo, and Bongo’s Bingo to name but a few. Bingo can be played after midnight but to do so requires a variation application made to the council licensing authority, to amend the bingo licence. This is bureaucratic and expensive. Removing the default hours would provide greater flexibility for the evolution of the game in our bingo halls, and opportunity for entertainment bingo attracting a younger crowd.

Flexibility is key to broaden bingo’s appeal Similarly, to broaden the appeal of the bingo game, the Association suggested changes to the regulations to allow development of the product, for instance allowing operators to offer more side bets based on the outcome of game. Further flexibility was sought, with the Association requesting changes to allow limited remote gambling associated to sit with bingo premises licences, for instance games via Zoom or Twitch. The Association

suggested changes to the gaming machine ratios to allow for more B3 gaming machines and reduce the need for artificially large numbers of the less popular Category D machines, which can create an unsightly and unnecessary machine warehouse effect in bingo halls. This change might be the more difficult to achieve in the current political climate, but it is not about having more B3 rather about having less Category D and C. We have suggested the return of the triennial review of the stakes and prizes on gaming machines. Finally, the Association stood behind the call for cashless payment methods on gaming machines. This is crucial to prevent the demise of the gaming machine (who has cash in their pockets anymore?!) and indications from government and the Commission are that this change is one they could support, in part due to the potential for safer gambling benefits with cashless, to develop our understanding of harm and provide additional safer gambling tools to players. This change could be accomplished with a change to statutory instrumentation, rather than primary legislation.

So a year of regulatory uncertainty ahead in 2022. But after the last few years, we are all used to that – right?!

➜

Nick Arron is a partner at niche licensing law firm Poppleston Allen. Poppleston Allen act for The Bingo Association and advises its members. Nick can be contacted via email n.arron@ popall.co.uk or telephone 07968 805559. www.popall.co.uk

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Winter 2022 /

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The festive season is just one of many excuses throughout the year for bingo clubs and staff to do what they do best – throw a party night! This issue we celebrate bingo’s love of a good party:

Bingo has a long history in the UK where it has always been about people, community and fun. Since it became popular here in the 1950s and 60s, operators, the media and private individuals have been there to record events and occasions, capturing unique moments, people and places that have played their part in bingo’s rich history.

Since 2015 Sean Connolly - known by many in the bingo sector - began sharing all his old bingo photos on Facebook ‘Bingo Photos Old and New’ and has posted over 7,000 images of people and clubs which has enabled a great many colleagues to reconnect.

➜ Party Night - Mansfield 1992

➜ New Years Eve Party - Granada, Peterborough 1982

➜ Party night - Gala Lincoln 1993

➜ Jamboree - Gala Warrington 1996

/ Winter 2022

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➜ Party Night - Gala Cramlington 2000 ➜ New Years Eve Party - Gala Hanley 1996

➜ Launch Night = Gala New Cross Gate 1996

➜ Party Night - Gala Surrey Quays 2000

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If you have bingo images that you would like to donate and/or share with Sean, please contact him via Facebook @old.bingo.photographs or email: seanconnolly431@hotmail.com ➜ Party Night - Crawley 1992

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Winter 2022 /

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