Probability plc has entered into an agreement with Orange to supply casual bingo games to Orange mobile customers in a move to recruitment customers to its bingo mobile gaming brand.

The agreement is initially for twelve months focussing on the UK, where Orange has 15.4 million customers. Probability Plc will operate the mobile bingo game and be responsible for payments, customer service, and all regulatory compliance.

Orange customers will be able to play mobile Bingo, jackpot and traditional mobile fruit machine slots, mobile HiLo, and mobile Video Poker. The minimum bet on each game will be 10 pence per mobile bingo card with daily quizzes in the mobile Bingo chatroom and weekly prizes that include tickets to West End shows and video game consoles.

 It was hoped by the Bingo industry that there would be an abolition of VAT on participation charges or a reduction or abolition of bingo duty, but the budget has failed to provide this much-needed boost for Britain’s declining bingo halls.

In addition to being hard hit by the smoking ban, UK bingo halls have faced ‘double taxation’ for several years where they pay 15% bingo duty on gross profits, as well as VAT on their participation and session charge income of 17.5%, described by Bingo Association chief executive Paul Talboys as a ’slap in the face for bingo players across the country’.
The abolition of VAT could have saved the industry almost £100 million in revenue which could have been channelled towards encouraging players back to the halls. This is a missed opportunity to recognise the value Bingo provides, not just as a tax payer, but also as providing a valuable social role for many communities.

The National Lottery TV commercial showing a little old granny being whisked away from a frightful old locked-up bingo hall to a beautiful sunny beach is causing upset among the Bingo Association.

The advert is for the National Lottery’s Flamin’ Hot Bingo scratch cards which is not an actual bingo game.

The ad been described as ‘deeply offensive’ coming at a time when the land-based bingo industry is facing its worst crisis for many years, seeing a loss of clientèle to on line bingo games and on-line bingo halls which have become increasingly popular.

The UK Bingo Association CEO is not happy commenting that the commercial is “deeply offensive” to an industry that is fighting for its survival in the face of continued revenue losses and bingo hall closures.