The Fate of Scottish and Welsh Bingo Halls

Plans to reopen casino and bingo venues throughout Scotland have been a long time coming, and The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have welcomed the idea of opening back up for business, while praising the decision to switch gaming machines back on from this month!

Bingo halls have been open up and down England since July 4^th, meaning both Wales and Scotland are some four weeks behind. But what about casino venues? Casinos throughout England are set to reopen from Saturday August 1^st and The BGC has urged both Scottish and Welsh Governments to take heed of the situation across the border and follow suit!

I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to get back to my local bingo hall! Many are sceptical and that’s understandable, but there are strict social distancing measures in place – unlike a grocery trip to your local supermarket! First Minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has already given venues a ‘recommended’ date to reopen – August 24^th, but there’s nothing set in stone yet!

When Can I Play Bingo Again?

On the casino side of things, 11 would re-open to begin with and this would result in almost 800 people heading back to work. Perspex screen, hand sanitisation stations, strict social distancing and track and tracing facilities would all need to be put in place by then. The date of August 24^th would also mean gaming terminals would be switched back on.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, said: “After four long months of lockdown, it’s fantastic to see casinos will reopen safely for business again on 1 August. I am delighted that they can now play their part in supporting the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector. We are delighted that casinos and bingo halls in Scotland have finally been given a date to re-open. They have demonstrated their commitment to ensuring the safety of their staff and customers, and it’s great that this has been recognised by the Scottish Government.

We’re already looking forward to casinos in England opening their doors again this weekend, and I hope that their Welsh colleagues will soon be receiving the same good news. I’m also very pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to our concerns about betting shops having to switch off their gaming machines. It’s great that they will be back on again from 24 August.”

What about Wales? First Minister Mark Drakeford is remaining tight-lipped on the whole bingo (and casino) hall topic, but there are some movements in the hospitality sector. Pubs, restaurants and cafes are to reopen from August 3^rd and we’ve already seen self-contained accommodation, hairdressers and beer gardens open for business, so why no bingo halls?

Unless you’re living in England, you’ll only get to dab those tickets via online bingo sites – same goes for casinos too. However, we suspect news on this front fairly soon and when we get it, we’ll be sure to pass it on!