Only as short as a year ago Mecca Bingo halls announced a 19% fall in sales just five weeks after high paying slot machines were removed from the bingo halls, following on the new Gambling Act that was enforced on 1st September 2007. In the past six weeks however, Mecca Bingo, has reported that the spend per person has increased by 8%. This has lead to a 2% increase in sales in comparison with the 12% slump being experienced in the first forty one weeks of the year. These improved bingo sales are helping to lift the slump.

Although the group has taken action to increase sales since the smoking ban was implemented. The ban still had a dramatic effect on regular attendance in Mecca bingo clubs. It is a well known fact that bingo players are more statistically inclined to be smokers that is the rest of the UK population. To undermine this effect, Mecca Bingo has built outdoor smoking areas and improved the quality of the food and drinks on offer in their clubs.

They have also successfully applied for split premises licences in the form of “Adult Gaming Centres” and 83 of these have been granted. These centres have been implemented in over 60 Mecca Bingo clubs to date and had the effect of boosting bingo profits. “Adult Gaming Centre” licenses means that the club splits it premises and places more of the highly lucrative ₤500 slots machines.

Tags: Adult Gaming Centre, Gambling Act, Mecca Bingo, Mecca Bingo halls