UK Bingo Halls Under Threat

Many players have been deeply saddened to see bingo halls across the country having been reduced to rubble. Continuous development across many towns and cities has seen a number of classic Art Deco buildings that were once cinemas or theatres, and were reinvented as bingo halls in the 1960’s and 1970’s, now demolished to make way for sky-rise apartments and office blocks.

Two grand old halls, the 1934 Doncaster Odeon fell last month and in Lancaster,the 1936 Regal Cinema in King Street suffered the same sad fate recently. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is now said to be refusing listing applications, and even the cinema in Leicester Square, which is hailed as the UK capital of cinema in the heart of London, as well as the historic Odeon in the West End are not immune.

The demolishment of many famous old bingo venues is said to be yet another nail in the coffin for the ailing land-based bingo games industry. The controversial smoking ban, increased bingo taxes, crime spates and many other issues have also contributed to the slow migration from the traditional halls loved by so many, to the online sites now favoured by players across the world. While thousands prefer to play bingo online, it is nevertheless tragic to see the traditional hall games vanish from society.