BRITAIN’s biggest bingo operators are joining forces to persuade the government to make changes to the industry to offset the impact on their clubs of the ban on smoking.

Gala and Rank Group say that, without the changes, up to 200 of Britain’s 800 bingo halls could close after the introduction of the ban in England in July.

Executives from the companies and Sir Peter Fry, chairman of the Bingo Association, hope to meet ministers in the next fortnight to lobby for changes.

The operators want to be able to offer alternative games, such as keno, in breaks between the clubs’ main bingo game, which current laws prevent. They argue that a game such as keno would allow smokers to go outside the club and still take part. They also want a rise in the number of “jackpot” amusement machines permitted in clubs from four to between 12 and 16. And they will ask ministers to scrap Vat on bingo takings. At present, they have to pay both Vat and a gross profits tax, which they say is unfair since other forms of gaming are only charged the tax on profits.

Referring to the Vat, Ian Burke, Rank’s chief executive, said it was “time to rectify some of the things that have survived longer than they ought to have done”. And Neil Goulden, Gala’s chief executive, said that bingo would suffer more from the ban than other activities because 46% of players smoked, compared with about 25% of the overall population.

Smoking was banned in Scotland last year and the effects have been dramatic, with some clubs seeing a huge drop in profitability.

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