Bingo is struggling in the UK despite the country’s Chancellor cutting the sector’s tax massively in 2014, said the Gambling Commission.

Tax cut fails to boost bingo

The decision gave bingo halls the lowest gaming tax in the UK sector at 10 per cent of gross profits. But in the years since the industry has failed to capitalise on it.

The Bingo Association stated that a lowering of the tax would allow bingo halls to “invest in their future” with more jobs and more “thriving bingo communities.”

Data from the Gambling Commission, however, shows that between March 2014 and March 2017, the number of employees has fallen from 14,069 to 12,433, as the number of clubs has decreased. As well as that, bingo turnover has fallen from £1.148bn to £1.095bn and bingo gross gaming yield has fallen from £378.5m to £368.8m.

Rank, which runs Mecca Bingo, has seen its bingo visits decline from 12.6 million in 2014 to 10.5 million in 2017. But it has managed to increase the spend per visit from £18.19 to £20.93 in the same period. However, Mecca’s revenues have fallen from £229.3m to £213.6m in the same period.

Tax is usually one of the key influences on the success of a gambling sector. But, so far, UK bingo has not managed to use the lower tax rate to reverse its fortunes.