In an Unexpected Twist, the Irish Government Has Revised its Law in Favour of Bingo Lovers!

News from Ireland has reached us today and in a dramatic twist, the Government has decided not to go ahead with the maximum bingo winnings limit of 50% but instead has raised it to 75%. This is brilliant news for bingo operators up and down the country as well as bingo players who feared that many clubs would close with the new changes…

…but whilst this may seem a good thing, in reality it’s not as good as it sounds. Typically, bingo winnings are as much as 85% of takings, so there’s 10% gone straight away, but it could’ve been a lot worse. On closer inspection, that 75% may not actually come to fruition as it will be down to each individual operator to decide just how much profit to take for themselves.

All moneys taken for bingo games have to be split up into three; 25% is the set rate going straight to charity and of the remaining 75%, the operator must decide how much to give as prize money and how much to take for themselves. However, for small bingo halls (with prize money of less than €5000), there is no change in the current law.

No Way Paddy!

The changes were proposed by Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny on Wednesday night and despite David Stanton, the Minister of State insisting that he would not reconsider the proposals, he did. Kenny told the press: “There was a very organised lobby by the commercial bingo operators against this bill, but the main objection being put forward was that there was a cap of 50% of takings at any licensed bingo game being allocated to prizes. My simple amendment changed that 50% to 75%, leaving it at the discretion of the operators as to how much they give as prizes.”

Protestors took to the path outside the Dail on Tuesday to voice their concerns that less prize money would result in bingo clubs closing but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was having none of it yesterday when he said: “I want to reassure people that there are no plans in this legislation at all that would cause the closure of any bingo halls in Ireland. Rather the legislation seeks to ensure that bingo halls - many of the big commercial operators - actually provide money to charity as they are required to do."

Was it Really a Victory?

The lobbyists became the big winners in the case of the bingo player vs the Government, but I’ve a feeling it won’t be quiet for long. What happens if operators decide to get greedy and take more than they should? This again would mean less cash up for grabs and no doubt we’ll see the same faces hitting the news in a few months’ time.

According to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, new laws were needed as many large operators in Ireland were flouting the rules and giving no money to charity or what they were giving was a very “paltry sum.”

What do you make of all this? Are you happy with the outcome? Let us know below.