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Legal and regulatory
New Jersey vote could see online bingo legalized
Posted by Debbie Archer on 12 January 2011
New Jersey politicians have voted to approve online gambling within the state, meaning that online gambling could be legal for the state’s citizens within days. The State Assembly and Senate voted on 11 January to allow interstate gambling, which means players would only be playing bingo against other players in New Jersey. The legislation now [...]
Online bingo laws in Ireland to be cleared up
Posted by Debbie Archer on 5 July 2010
DUBLIN – The rules surrounding online bingo in Ireland look likely to be cleared up following an announcement that Irish gaming laws are to be reformed. Currently online bingo sites in Ireland such as Bingo.ie, Paddy Power Bingo and Bingo Ireland operate in a grey area because legislation on gambling in Ireland was written well [...]
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California poker bill decision is bad for online bingo
Posted by Debbie Archer on 30 June 2010
THE chances of online bingo being legalized in the USA took a backward step last night after a bill to allow online poker in California failed to even go to a vote in the California Senate. The bill proposed that online poker would be allowed in California with up to 20 per cent of the [...]
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Online bingo in Australia not legal soon
Posted by Debbie Archer on 24 June 2010
Australian legislators have chosen not to legalise online bingo in Australia, despite recommendations from a policy advisory panel. The panel had recommended that online bingo, poker and casino games should be legal for Australians but the communications minister said he believed that the likely rise in problem gambling outweighed any potential benefits of allowing online [...]
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Uncertainty rests on Alabama bingo vote
Posted by Robert Alexander on 20 April 2010
MONTGOMERY, Al - Time is running out for state representatives to win votes on a bingo bill, which, if passed will see electronic bingo legalized and fully regulated by the state.
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FBI investigation doesn’t halt Alabama bingo bill
Posted by Robert Alexander on 13 April 2010
MONTGOMERY, Al - Lawmakers in Alabama have vowed to continue moving forward with a proposed "bingo bill" despite being warned by federal investigators that there was evidence of corruption in the bill.
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Bingo bill passed in Alabama senate
Posted by Robert Alexander on 31 March 2010
Voters in Alabama may yet get the chance to voice their opinion on electronic bingo late this year after the Senate garnered just enough votes to pass a constitutional amendment yesterday evening.
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Tombola Bingo ad banned for racial stereotyping
Posted by Robert Alexander on 30 March 2010
Online bingo site Tombola.co.uk has had a recent television advert banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). It was banned because two people complained that it "presented a negative racial stereotype".
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Alabama’s biggest bingo hall re-opens
Posted by Robert Alexander on 15 March 2010
MONTGOMERY, AL - VictoryLand casino and electronic bingo hall has re-opened, still with upwards of six thousand electronic bingo machines on the premises. Owners of VictoryLand maintain that the machines are legal under criteria set by the Supreme Court last year.
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Alabama Governor critical of bingo ruling
Posted by Robert Alexander on 9 March 2010
MONTGOMERY, AL - Governor Bob Riley has attacked a Jefferson County judge's ruling that the Attorney General has the authority to seize control of his anti-gambling task force.
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Ex-Mayor won $1.5million in bingo jackpots
Posted by Robert Alexander on 4 March 2010
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The ex-mayor of Birmingham Larry Langford, who was ousted from his position after being convicted of bribery has come under further scrutiny after it was revealed he won 555 electronic bingo jackpots over three years at an electronic bingo casino run by a friend and political supporter.
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Alabama bingo bill “improved”
Posted by Robert Alexander on 2 March 2010
Montgomery, AL - The bingo battle in Alabama rages on as important public figures wade in. In an effort to get more support for an electronic bingo bill that will lead to a statewide public vote on bingo in Alabama, Senator Roger Bedford plans to release a revised and "improved" version of the bill.
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Online bingo finally reaches Finland
Posted by Robert Alexander on 2 March 2010
Finland is the latest European country to have taken initial steps towards offering online bingo. The Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY) has recieved permission to start offering poker and casino games online, and Veikkaus (The state run lottery corporation) has been approved to offer online bingo to people in Finland.
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Brasilian bingo halls set to be approved
Posted by Robert Alexander on 1 March 2010
The Brasilian bingo sector is continuing its wait for the legalisation of bingo halls in the country, but the wait is looking like coming to an end in the near future. Salim Curiati, member of parliament for the centre-right PP (Progressive Party) said that he was in favour of legalising bingo.
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Bingo Rallies in Alabama!
Posted by Robert Alexander on 25 February 2010
MONTGOMERY AL- Crowds of people on both sides of the electronic bingo debate currently taking over Alabama rallied at the Alabama State House. Over the past month, Governor Bob Riley’s task force on illegal gambling has threatened to perform raids on bingo halls to confiscate machines that he believes are illegal. The pro-bingo group, many [...]
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Alabama bingo halls could be raided at any time
Posted by Robert Alexander on 5 February 2010
MONTGOMERY (AL)- Electronic bingo establishments in Alabama could now be raided at any time after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that clears a way for Governor Bob Riley's Illegal Gambling task force to raid any bingo halls it considers illegal.
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Alabama Bingo Battle Continues
Posted by Robert Alexander on 4 February 2010
MONTGOMERY (AL): The bingo legality debate in Alabama is continuing at a rapid pace as state leaders and a Christian group speak out against the tactics used by Governor Bob Riley’s task force to close down facilities offering electronic bingo in the state. The Alabama Christian Coalition Chairman, Dr. Randy Brinson said that he and [...]
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Gambling task force rules Alabama bingo machines illegal
Posted by Robert Alexander on 2 February 2010
An undercover officer for Alabama Governor Bob Riley’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling has explained why the machines in a bingo hall that the task force are hoping to raid are illegal. The officer said that the electronic bingo machines at the Country Crossing gambling hall in Dothan are not bingo, and thus illegal because [...]
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Bingo Machines Removed in Sacramento
Posted by Robert Alexander on 1 February 2010
Charities in Sacramento agreed this Sunday to remove hundreds of slot machine style bingo games from the Sacramento Bingo Center. The 140 machines, which generated revenue for community groups and charitable organisations benefiting the blind and developmentally disabled people in the city. Charities including United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento and the Society for the [...]
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FAIM founder to appeal loss of bingo licence
Posted by Robert Alexander on 27 January 2010
The founder of the Fine Arts Institute of Mississippi is appealing the state Gaming Commission’s decision not to renew his charitable bingo licence. Bill Murphy testified at a hearing that he paid for a software program from his organization’s gaming operations because he thought it was an allowable bingo expense. FAIM, an organization committed to [...]
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No New Bingo Gaming Halls for Aragón – Spain
Posted by Robert Alexander on 27 January 2010
The Government of Aragón in Spain is preparing a bill that will suspend, temporarily at least, any possibility of new bingo halls or casinos being opened in the region. There are 107 bingo and gaming halls in Aragón and it is argued that the market has been saturated. Any more places for people to play [...]
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Alabama Bingo Legislation – update
Posted by Robert Alexander on 26 January 2010
Leaders in the House of Representatives have reported that they don’t expect an immediate vote on legislation to prevent Governor Bob Riley’s administration from raiding and closing down bingo operations in Alabama. It has been speculated that it could be at least a few weeks until the bill would make it to the floor. This [...]
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Alabama To Decide On Electronic Bingo Hall Bill
Posted by Robert Alexander on 22 January 2010
Bingo operators in the state of Alabama used to believe that the definition of bingo was decided by Attorney General Troy King. Now the courts are trying to figure out what “bingo” means in Alabama. House bill 1-54 was brought in to try and sort out how the electronic bingo halls in Alabama would be [...]
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Large number of Alabama bingo halls told to shut down
Posted by Debbie Archer on 22 October 2009
ALABAMA -The vast majority of Alabama’s bingo halls are likely to close after the Jefferson County district attorney declared them to be breaking the law. Brandon Falls, the district attorney for the Birmigham district, said that the halls were for-profit businesses rather than charity ventures and that if they did not close with 10 days [...]
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Mecca Bingo submits views on slots tax
Posted by Debbie Archer on 22 October 2009
Mecca Bingo’s parent group, Rank Bingo, has submitted their views to the UK Treasury on proposed changes to the tax regime on slot machines. The submission says that in order for Rank Group to not suffer from the switch to a gross profit tax (GPT) on slot machines that the rate would have to be [...]
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Bingo.com appears to target children
Posted by Debbie Archer on 13 August 2009
Bingo.com may be risking its Maltese licence by putting content on its site promoting bingo to children. In an article posted on the Bingo.com website, titled “Bingo at school!”, the website says: “Bingo strengthens their memory, helps them [children] focus, and allows them to learn how to work and cooperate together. If they create their [...]
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Analysis: William Hill move offshore is bad for bingo
Posted by Debbie Archer on 4 August 2009
Bingo News regularly provides analysis of breaking news in the online bingo market, looking at the likely impacts of company decisions. William Hill’s announcement that they are moving their sportsbook and fixed odds betting operation offshore to Gibraltar is a surprise to no-one. The news has been widely flagged in the press in recent days [...]
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Bingo debated in House of Commons
Posted by Debbie Archer on 15 July 2009
The taxation regime on bingo was raised during Treasury questions in the House of Commons yesterday. Sarah McCarthy-Fry, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, took four questions from MPs who questioned why the government was doing so little for the UK bingo industry. Unfortunately there was little to cheer the bingo industry as the minister [...]
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Missouri bingo expansion vetoed by governor
Posted by Debbie Archer on 15 July 2009
A plan to expand the number of charity bingo halls in Missouri looks set to fail after the Governor vetoed legislation that would improve the taxation of bingo. Currently there is a 0.2 cent tax on every bingo card sold in Missouri but a bill was passed to abolish this tax and ease restrictions on [...]
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Labour MPs reject tax cut for bingo clubs
Posted by Debbie Archer on 9 July 2009
A proposal to change the taxation on bingo clubs has failed after Labour MPs failed to back the plans. SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie had proposed an amendment to the Finance Bill which would have cut the tax charged on bingo halls from 22% down to 15%. But in yesterday’s House of Commons debate the [...]
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HMRC appeals Mecca Bingo VAT ruling
Posted by Debbie Archer on 8 July 2009
Mecca Bingo has been advised that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has lodged an appeal against last month’s High Court ruling that the bingo company was entitled to a £59.1 million VAT refund. In May and August 2008, the VAT & Duties Tribunal upheld Rank’s respective claims that the inconsistent application of VAT to [...]
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Bingo protestors target House of Commons
Posted by Debbie Archer on 1 July 2009
Around 200 bingo players gathered at the House of Commons at lunchtime today to protest the government’s tax changes that were passed in the last Budget. They were joined by MPs who back their campaign; more than 100 MPs have signed an early day motion asking for the tax regime to be changed, including more [...]
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European lawyers say online bingo legislation is slow to arrive
Posted by Debbie Archer on 17 June 2009
Online bingo operators will soon be able to work legally in the Italian market but the French, Spanish and German markets will take much longer to open up, top gaming lawyers told the Online Bingo Summit 2009. A panel of four lawyers said that legislation would eventually arrive but that it would take time before [...]
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Deloitte hails Mecca Bingo VAT decision
Posted by Debbie Archer on 9 June 2009
Tax accountants Deloitte have hailed the decision of the High Court that Mecca Bingo’s parent company, Rank Group, should receive a massive £59.1 million VAT refund. Tony McClenaghan, senior indirect tax partner at Deloitte, who advised Rank, said: “This is a landmark decision endorsing one of the most important principles of Community law, fiscal neutrality. [...]
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Mecca Bingo wins £59 million VAT case
Posted by Debbie Archer on 8 June 2009
The High Court today upheld a ruling that Mecca Bingo’s parent company, Rank Group, is entitled to a £59.1 million VAT refund. The High Court ruled that Mecca Bingo overpaid VAT on interval bingo and gaming machines and that last year’s rulings by the VAT & Duties Tribunal were correct. The Tribunal had said that [...]
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Bingo.com still losing money
Posted by Debbie Archer on 18 May 2009
Bingo.com continues to lose money but are very pleased with their progress, according to their first quarter results. Bingo.com lost $243,974 in the first quarter of 2009, 37 per cent less than the $390,282 they lost in the fourth quarter of 2008. Chief executive Tarrnie Williams described it as a “very pleasing first quarter”. First [...]
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Gala Bingo player to call in Gambling Commission
Posted by Debbie Archer on 13 May 2009
A bingo player was escorted from a bingo hall after staging a two hour sit down protest over a £1,000 prize. Elaine Prendergast, 63, claims that she hit a full house during a session at the Gala Bingo hall in Wythenshawe, Manchester but that the caller missed her cry of ‘house’, costing her a £1,000 [...]
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French government to launch online bingo website
Posted by Debbie Archer on 13 May 2009
France’s state gambling operator, Francaise des Jeux, is set to launch an online bingo site by the end of the month. The site will offer free bingo initially but will switch to real money play in January 2010 when the French gambling market is liberalised. The bingo software is supplied by NYX Interactive, who also [...]
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Mort Zuckerman wants bingo to save US newspaper industry
Posted by Debbie Archer on 7 May 2009
Mort Zuckerman has urged US legislators to allow newspapers to run bingo games – including online bingo – in an attempt to save the American newspaper industry. In an interview with New York he said: “Just make bingo legal on our websites…. The newspapers in England are supported almost exclusively by the profitability of running [...]
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Legislation to legalize online bingo in United States introduced
Posted by Debbie Archer on 6 May 2009
Online bingo would be legalized in the United States under legislation published by Barney Frank, chairman of the US Financial Services Committee, today. His Internet Gambling Regulation Consumer Protection & Enforcement Act regulation seeks to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which effectively outlawed online gambling in the United States when it passed [...]
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Budget blow for bingo clubs – Gala and Mecca hit hard
Posted by Debbie Archer on 23 April 2009
The bingo industry’s campaign to abolish VAT on bingo ticket sales was succesful yesterday – only for Chancellor Alistair Darling to increase taxes on bingo and gaming machines. VAT on bingo will be abolished but Gross Profits Tax (GPT) will increase from 15% to 22% and machine duty will rise 9% from £2,030 to £2,215 [...]
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David Miliband a better bingo caller than politician
Posted by Debbie Archer on 21 April 2009
The Foreign Secretary has been hailed as a “fantastic bingo caller” following his debut a a South Shields bingo hall. The praise will be a welcome change for him at a time when his party fights for its political future. David Miliband visited the Mecca Bingo Club in South Shields with Ian Burke, the chief [...]
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PRWeb bans online bingo releases after Washington State letter
Posted by Debbie Archer on 21 April 2009
One of the most popular online press release companies has banned bingo companies from using their services. PRWeb have told all online gambling companies that they cannot distribute any press releases on their behalf because they have received a Cease and Desist Order from the State of Washington. PRWeb is also based in the north [...]
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Party Bingo parent company settles with DoJ
Posted by Debbie Archer on 9 April 2009
Party Gaming, the parent company of Party Bingo, has reached a settlement with the American authorities over their ‘illegal’ gambling in the United States. Party Gaming agreed to pay $105 million in penalties over three years as part of a non-prosecution agreement. Lev L. Dassin, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, [...]
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Codere to keep operating in La Plata
Posted by Debbie Archer on 6 April 2009
Spanish gaming giant Codere has been told they can keep operating Bingo Platense in La Plata, Argentina until a legal ruling over their license is resolved. A judge ruled in January 2009 that Codere should close the Bingo Platense bingo hall in La Plata. The bingo hall in La Plata has sales of 20 million [...]
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Royal Mail worker stole to pay for online bingo
Posted by Debbie Archer on 3 March 2009
A Royal Mail worker was jailed for 12 months for stealing more than £75,000 to pay for her addiction to slot machines and online bingo. Patricia Barnes, 39, from Norwich handled special delivery post in the Norwich sorting office for 14 years before being caught in a surveillance operation. She admitted to taking cash to [...]
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Bingo halls adding B3 machines in a hurry
Posted by Debbie Archer on 13 February 2009
The law allowing bingo halls to increase the number of B3 jackpot gaming machines from four to eight was only changed on 4 February but already bingo halls are seeing the positive effects of the change. Mecca Bingo and Gala Bingo management have ordered bingo halls to increase the number of B3 machines as rapidly [...]
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Bingo prize limits unchanged in Kansas
Posted by Debbie Archer on 13 February 2009
A plan to increase the size of bingo prizes in Kansas has been rejected by a Senate committee. The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee rejected a proposal from Kansas’ 27 bingo parlors that would permit greater frequency of bingo events, raised game prize limits and permit volunteers to be served a meal. The bill [...]
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National gambling study shows online bingo play steady
Posted by Debbie Archer on 4 February 2009
The UK Gambling Commission’s quarterly survey of online gambling habits show that online bingo sites have maintained their market share. 1.1% of those surveyed by ICM Omnibus, a market research firm, had played online bingo in the past month. It was the sixth most popular online betting activity, after tickets for the National Lottery draw [...]
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Kentucky governor to appeal bingo domains case
Posted by Debbie Archer on 23 January 2009
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear will appeal a court ruling that prevents the state from seizing domain names used by online gambling sites. A Kentucky Court of Appeal ruling had said that domain names did not constitute ‘gambling devices’ and therefore were not liable to seizure. The 2-to-1 court ruling had been greeted by online gambling [...]
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