Bacta’s experiment in taking the National Council meeting out into the regions was a huge success in Leeds yesterday and president John Bollom pledged to extend the practice, probably taking in Bristol to cover south-west England and south Wales and the north-nest, possibly Manchester or Blackpool.
Bollom (pictured) also said that a visit up to Scotland to get closer to members in that country was also on the cards.
After a regular National Council meeting, local members were welcomed into a special questions and answers session at which a number of major topics, each of which was vital to Bacta operators, was discussed.
The meeting had a full room of operators from as far apart as Northumberland, Cumbria and Blackpool.
First, however, Bollom introduced some of the National Council members present at the Marriott Hotel in Leeds for the first meeting outside of London. They included his vice president Joseph Cullis, James Miller, Nick Harding, Peter Davies, Elizabeth Speed, Tony Boulton, Dean Harding, Jeremy Godden, Jonathan Lauder, the asssocation’s commercial director Rob Gibb and communications director George McGregor.
Bacta's George McGregor told members to meet all candidates ahead of the next general election, that a decision on the White Paper on gambling would come "within days" and the association was pushing for a stakes and prizes review. A discussion on Category D machines, low stakes in seaside locations, followed. Of course, the topic of cashless gaming was high on the agenda for attendees, taking up much of the Q&A session.
EAG to stay in early January
UDC's managing director Mark Horwood sought to make the point that the EAG trade show should remain in early January in order that orders could be processed for operators to utilise new equipment at Easter. There had been some pressure from a few people to move the show to February, he said, and Mark sought reassurance on the point.
Bollom said that the show was again set for mid-January in 2025, but he did not know what would happen in the following years, but he took the point.
Other speakers emphasised that time to process orders for Easter was of paramount importance.
Bollom said: “EAG is a significant contributor to Bacta finances,” and his vice president Joseph Cullis, as a seaside operator, pointed out that mid-February, as some had suggested, was "no good for us."
Responding to a question from Coin-op Community's David Snook, Bollom said that the decision to move ICE from London to Barcelona next year did open up opportunities for EAG.
“We are investigating the possibilities. We would seek to expand our land-based gambling content at the show. We are working on this issue very hard because now is the time that would-be exhibitors are making decisions about where they will go.”
Association census - 80 per cent response
Merkur UK's Tony Boulton told the meeting that the census of the membership – the first ever attempted by the organisation to collect data on the size and shape of the industry – now had an 80 per cent response.
Boulton urged any companies represented at the meeting that had no so far completed their surveys to do so. “We are aiming for a 100 per cent response,” he said, adding that the information was a vital ingredient in the organisation’s make-up and would help it to better represent the industry in negotiations.
Jukeboxes – an ongoing fight
Martin Agabeg, who worked on the Music Users’ Group, told the meeting that the sector continued to battle with PPL and PRS over fees.
“We are fighting to get a decent deal for all of us. The Spotify issue remains a bone of contention. But we are dealing with monopolies – and it is very difficult to get through to them.”
