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Region


Scotland Wales


Date of Smoking Ban Introduction 26 March 2006 2 April 2007


Northern Ireland 30 April 2007 England


1 July 2007


the UK and there could be a limited number of licences issued. Such a scenario is unlikely to prevent firms continuing to target Spain from offshore jurisdictions. The regulation of online gaming in Spain could open the way for similar regulation in Latin America, where bingo is also widely popular. The suggestion has been made that countries in region, such as Argentina, would take their lead from Spain in the creation of online gambling regulation. This is by no means certain and governments’ attitude towards gambling is still very circumspect in Latin America.


In Italy Internet bingo has had a spluttering start. Gioco Digitale was the first Italian- licensed operator to offer real-money online bingo in December 2009. According to AAMS, sales for that month were €80,000. For the month of January 2010 this had risen to €6.2 million. Other operators were looking to get into the market, but just as they were about to launch their online bingo rooms in February 2010, the Italian legal system stepped in to complicate matters. The Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Lazio decided to annul the regulation created by AAMS that permitted online bingo. The court was responding to a petition made by a number of smaller Italian bingo operators which argued the new regulations favoured the larger companies. But the TAR’s decision was subsequently suspended by the Administrative Court of Appeal until a final verdict. The suspension meant that operators can continue to offer online bingo until that verdict. Total turnover for 2010 was €146 million and January 2011 had a turnover of €19.8 million, a substantial year-on-year increase. In February 2010 Gioco Digitale was joined


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by Microgame. In April Playtech joined them with their bingo network. Among the companies participating in the Playtech network are Snai, Sisal, Eurobet and Cogetech, as well as Codere.


The example of Codere in Italy shows that, of course, the live bingo sector has not been oblivious to the Internet revolution. In markets like Spain and the UK the smoking ban has been very bad for live Bingo. Clubs have been closing and revenues falling. One major strength of bingo clubs is that they of already have established and trusted brands to take online. In the UK Mecca Bingo and Gala Bingo have used their estate of bingo clubs to promote their online bingo games for when players are at home. Mecca has also been adapting it live bingo games to appeal to the Internet generation. Mecca introduced After Dark Bin-glo on Saturday nights offering glow in the dark bingo to a younger audience. It started at its club in Beeston, Nottingham but has been extended to five other clubs.


Looking to the future bingo would also seem ideally suited for play in smartphones and tablets as mobile gambling continues its development – quick game play, and can be played even when distracted by a phone call, messaging, emailing etc. The game of bingo has an undoubted, enduring appeal. It has found a new niche for itself on the Internet in the connected, social networking age. Bingo has helped the e-gaming sector extend its appeal to new players, whilst the Internet has given bingo a new lease of life away from the difficulties of live bingo.


Date of


Smoking Ban Introduction in the UK


Bingo Life


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