SECOND WEEKLY NATIONAL LOTTERY DRAW'S EFFECT ON THE LICENSED BINGO INDUSTRY

EDM number 385 in 1996-97, proposed by Richard Alexander on 14/01/1997.

That this House expresses grave concern about the impact of a second weekly National Lottery draw on licensed bingo and the consequences this is likely to have on the industry; notes that since the start of the National Lottery and the introduction of scratchcards 78 bingo clubs have closed with the resultant loss of 3000 jobs, admissions to clubs are 10 per cent. down, in 1994-95 profitability fell 34 per cent. with no sign of this trend reversing and national bingo game ticket sales have fallen six per cent. in a nightly and Saturday afternoon game when the prize, the biggest in bingo, is often ú100,000; believes that a second weekly National Lottery draw will have a further detrimental impact on attendance and on the survival of clubs, particularly in smaller towns, which will undermine the social benefits enjoyed by those who play bingo; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to take urgent action to take appropriate measures to reduce bingo duty and offer comparable assistance to that given to some other areas of the betting and gaming industries.

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs.