English and Scottish Casinos to Reopen on 17 May

Casinos and bingo halls in England and Scotland are to be allowed to reopen from 17 May, having secured final approval from the government.

All gambling venues in England and Scotland were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic last year. There was a phased reopening in July 2020 when the government initially began to remove coronavirus related restrictions. However, the venues were made to close again, first in a series of regional lockdowns and then due to a new national lockdown that begun towards the end of the year.

In February, the government published its plans for ending the lockdown in England, with betting shops allowed to reopen on 12 April and casinos and bingo halls allowed to follow suit no later than 17 May.

This week, the government confirmed that reopening date, meaning that operators are now busy preparing to open their doors to customers next week.

Initially, casinos were set to open later in Scotland, a plan criticized by the Betting and Gaming Council. However, this plan has now been changed.

The gambling industry greeted news with enthusiasm, in particular Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo (LON: RNK), a company that is celebrating its diamond anniversary having first opened in London in 1961.

We’re expecting this to be the year of bingo, and we’re coming back in style. People are going to expect a lot more from their leisure spend and are keen to find new social experiences that are value for money and packed with entertainment. Bingo ticks every box and we expect to see high demand from a new audience who want to have some fun in a safe, spacious and welcoming environment. As such we’ve really ramped up plans to evolve the bingo experience in ways that will appeal to a new audience.

John DysonMecca Bingo National Operations Director