The UK’s largest bingo operator, Gala Bingo, has rejoined the Bingo Association.
Gala, which operates 138 clubs, withdrew from the association in 2008. Now, with Gala on board, the organisation said it will be stepping up its campaign to tackle the “inequitable” tax system levied on bingo. The sector currently pays a 20 per cent gross profit tax rate, while most other forms of gambling, including betting shops, arcades and online bingo sites, pay a rate of 15 per cent.
At a time when the government is set to levy an additional £9m per annum tax on the bingo sector through the introduction of MGD, there is a strong need, the association said, to reduce bingo GPT.
“As the largest operator of licensed bingo clubs in the UK, Gala Bingo are a very important part of the industry and it is great to have it on-board and be fully integrated in all our work,” said Miles Baron, chief executive of the Bingo Association. “The team at Gala has a wealth of experience that will be extremely valuable in helping to shape and develop the industry’s future.”
Simon Wykes, managing director of Gala Bingo, said that the bingo sector continues to face unfair tax treatment and the possibility of more restrictive regulation.
“The combination of the two can only ever stifle investment in a business that needs to innovate through investment,” he added.
