Vic: Changes needed to keep eyes down, bingo report says

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2008
Vic: Changes needed to keep eyes down, bingo report says

By Kate Lahey

MELBOURNE, April 3 AAP - The Victorian bingo industry is in decline, unable to compete
with poker machines and in need of new rules to keep it attractive to punters, Victoria's
gaming office says.

The once-popular game has been unable to adapt to keep players interested because,
despite its "low-risk" nature, it is one of the most strictly regulated forms of gambling
in Victoria, according to the office's report.

The Victorian Office of Gaming and Racing today released a report on bingo that recommends
an increase in the size of an allowable prize jackpot, dropping a requirement on recording
the names of winners and allowing nursing homes to run bingo games without a permit.

The report, Bingo: Proposals for Regulatory Reform, says total returns to bingo permit
holders decreased by 22 per cent between 2003 and 2006 and demand for bingo fell 28 per
cent between 2001 and 2006.

"It is likely that bingo is losing market share to other forms of gambling, such as
electronic gaming machines, wagering and even trade promotion lotteries," the report says.

"Many of these other forms of gambling involve faster play, more immediate outcomes,
broader game varieties and bigger prizes.

"It may be also that bingo has become stale and lacks the flexibility - in rules and
form of play - to reverse the downward trend in demand."

The report says gaming machines in particular contributed to the bingo downturn, with
a significant number of bingo centres closing since their introduction.

Among the proposed changes, not-for-profit bingo would be allowed in nursing homes
as a form of entertainment, without requiring a gaming permit or a declaration that the
home is a charitable organisation.

Other changes include allowing new versions of the game and the introduction of paperless
bingo, played with a hand-held electronic device.

Also, all winnings over $1,000 would be paid by cheque, the $10,000 cap on gross receipts
and jackpot prizes would be removed, and the restriction on the number of bingo sessions
held at any one venue in a week would be removed.

The proposed changes have been released for public comment and are available at www.justice.vic.gov.au.

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KEYWORD: BINGO

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