Bingo And Section 42 Of The Gaming Act

EDM number 1001 in 1989-90, proposed by Alan Meale on 15/05/1990.

That this House, aware that two and a half million people play the licensed game of bingo every week in Britain and that the games industry employ some 50,000 people throughout the United Kingdom in approximately 1,115 licensed bingo clubs, believes that the game of bingo when organised by and played in properly licensed bingo clubs, which have effective in-built mechanisms to limit the amount of money that can be taken from any player, and to control their memberships, and where all money staked is returned in prizes, less a 10 per cent. duty, cannot be viewed today as a serious danger in British society, nor should be treated at a disadvantage to the likes of national newspapers, some of whom promote their own bingo games, football pools companies or some bookmaking companies who promote their activities through advertisements; and therefore urges the Government to remove the licensed bingo game from restrictions imposed under section 42 of the Gaming Act 1968 to cease the present anomaly.

This motion has been signed by a total of 80 MPs.