High street ‘slot farms’ could evade budget tax rise through bingo hall loophole
Summary
The government raised duty on slot machine takings from 20% to 25% and removed a business-rates discount for adult gaming centres in England. Guardian analysis suggests some venues run by Merkur and Admiral could keep the discount by operating under bingo licences, prompting calls for tighter rules and enforcement.Key Facts
- The duty increase also affects bookmakers and casinos.
- The business-rates discount change applies to adult gaming centres and vape shops in England.
- Gambling Commission records show more than 200 arcades licensed as bingo venues, though duplicated data makes the exact total unclear.
- The Guardian visited four Merkur venues and one Admiral venue that advertised bingo but appeared to focus mainly on slot machines.
- At the visited venues, bingo was available on tablets in a small part of the premises.
- A staff member at one venue said nobody used its bingo tablets and that they did not appear to work.
- A Merkur venue in Stockport was linked to a case in which Wendy Hughes lost £2,000; Merkur was fined £100,000 after the Guardian reported on the case.
- Labour MP Alex Ballinger urged the government to prevent bingo licences from being used to bypass the new business-rates rules.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
