Europe’s biggest gambling group today released it’s first financial results since it’s major restructuring and they show the company is £188 million in the red.

Gala Coral, which encompasses the Coral bookmaker chain along with 144 bingo clubs, 26 casinos and various online betting sites, has sales of £1.2bn in the period ending 25th March 2025. But as a result of the revaluing of assets £123 was lost and a further £54 million was spent in restructuring costs the over all operating profit was only £105m.

The company accountants actually had some good news during 2025 from, of all people, HMRC, when they were handed a £70m refund for overpaid VAT on it’s bingo and slot machines.

However, the operating profit was completely wiped out by interest charges of £306m. As bleak as this all seems, it is still a distinct improvement of the £495 overall loss recorded in 2025. The complete and lengthy refinancing of the company during this period saw it’s private equity owners wiped out, losing £670m, and control pass to the the company’s debt holders which are led by Apollo Management from the USA. This process resulted in Gala cutting it’s outstanding debt by £350m to £2,2bn.

Gala Coral, headed since March by Carl Leaver, remains high on the list of companies vying to buy the state-owned bookmaker, the Tote. The sale of which is being handled by the investment bank Lazard, with the favoured bidder due to be announced next month.

With the recent budget cuts, that most councils are struggling to cope with, they are all looking for ways to raise extra cash. East Riding Council thinks the solution is to raise the cost of the license that all bingo halls must have to operate. The council has put forward their proposal to raise the license fee from £600 to £1000.

In the past the license fees were set by Central Government but now each council setting their own levels for fees. Other councils have made similar changes, in some cases the license fees have risen to  figures close to £4k

This is the latest threat in a long line of blows to Bingo Halls around the country, who are already coping with the massive drop in numbers as their members move over to online bingo in an effort to reduce their own household outgoings.  The implimentation of the smoking ban was the first major blow that hit the industry hard but  if councils do go ahead and increase the license fees the clubs will most likely be unable to absorb the extra costs over time and it will be passed onto the players who are dwindling in number. How long can your local  Bingo Hall survive and will Online Bingo soon be your only option?

The strong bond between the Gala Coral Group and Sue Ryder Care was recognised at a reception held at the House of Lords on Thursday 27th January 2025 after the companies target of £1.5 million+ was raised for the charity.

The Gala Coral Group chose  Sue Ryder Care as their charity after an employee ballot in early 2025. The charity supplies care, support and assistance to people with all sorts of conditions, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Huntingtons and after a stroke, and also to their families.

The original target was £1 million by the end of 2025 however thanks to the way the staff threw themselves into fundraising the Group smashed that and therefore increased the target to £1.5 million to be raised March 2025. Thanks to every area of the group pushing to meet their fund targets the total amount was reached by New Year ‘s eve 2025.

Paul Woodward, Sue Ryder’s Chief Executive , said: "We have been so impressed with Gala Coral's continued commitment and enthusiasm in raising vital funds for Sue Ryder over the past two years. £1.5million is a fantastic achievement and will go a long way to helping us grow and develop our services to reach more people that need end of life and long-term health and social care.

He added: "In these uncertain economic times all voluntary income is much needed in order to help us continue to provide care that makes a real difference to people’s lives. On behalf of Sue Ryder, my sincere thanks go out to everybody at the Gala Coral Group."

Head of Corporate Responsibility & Internal Communications at Gala Coral Group, Dr Colin Morgan, said: "Raising £1.5m during a recession is a performance in itself. We have never raised so much before for one charity and it is a testament to everyone in the business who got behind such a worthwhile cause. It has been fantastic to work so closely with Sue Ryder Care who do some truly amazing things for those who need extra care and we know they appreciate every single penny."

A recent report by the British Medical Association has said that activities such as bingo should be provided to patients as such simple measures would help prevent boredom and reduce the chances of depression during long term confinements.

The BMA’s head of science and ethics,  Dr Vivienne Nathanson, “What people sometimes forget is that while helping people to feel better during their hospital stay we can reduce their need for painkillers, their likelihood of getting some depression and perhaps not eating enough.

“All of these things will limit their recovery and if we can speed people’s recovery, they have shorter time in hospital, shorter time for the problems of being in hospital and of course save money.”

She went on to tell  the BBC’s Today programme: “Any ward would need to look and say ‘do we have a group of people for whom scrabble would be right or is bingo better for that particular group’.”

The Patient’s Association welcomed the report as it encourages healthcare providers to see patients as people who have social needs rather than numbers on a spreadsheet.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said healthcare professionals should plan care “according to a patient’s individual needs to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes”.

“They should also ensure value for money,” she added

Mecca Bingo launched a fundraising challenge in it’s clubs throughout the UK at the beginning of 2025. The initiative, called the 50/50 Challenge, was based on the popular TV program The Apprentice. Team members at each club were given £50 and told to come up with a way to use it to raise as much money as possible for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Mecca are hoping to raise £200,000 before the end of the year.

For example, Rutherglen Bingo Club used their £50 to buy tombola prizes as they knew that tombolas always went well with their customers and it would be a sure way to increase the money.

Emma Hutton, who is a community fund-raiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care, said “Thinking of different ways to fund-raise can be quite challenging and we're always looking to do something that stands out from the crowd.

"The 50/50 Challenge is an innovative way to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

"It's also a great way for the team members at Mecca Bingo to learn some different skills."

Every £20 raised will help provide an hour of specialised nursing care at home for a terminally ill person. For further details on Marie Curie Cancer Care, and how you can help out, visit the website at mariecurie

Mary Sturman has been attending the Gala Bingo club on Kilner Way in Sheffield every Sunday for over a decade so when the staff discovered that it was her 100th birthday they set out to celebrate it in style.

Winifred Brazer, Mary’s daughter, and the Gala Bingo general manager David Ryley arranged for Mary to be collected from her home by limousine on the Sunday before her birthday. She was whisked to the bingo hall where she was greeted by a red carpet entrance and over 100 people, including friends, family and Gala Bingo staff who all joined her for a special Christmas banquet to celebrate.

David Ryley said, “Mary comes down to the club every Sunday without fail, so we wanted to ensure we marked this momentous occasion properly. It was absolutely fantastic to see so many people join in the celebrations and watch Mary blow out the candles on her cake for her big day."

Winifred was quoted as saying that her mum was “completely shocked and overwhelmed by her surprise and the turnout at the club on Sunday. She absolutely loves going to Gala Bingo every week and looks forward to catching up with all her friends and staff as everyone is so friendly.

She added: "The day was absolutely fantastic and she had a great time. She even got up and danced with the staff at one point! Thank you so much Gala Bingo for making her birthday so special."

The historic former Mecca bingo hall in Swindon reopened on 11th March after thousands of pounds were spent on refurbishment. The building was first opened in the early 1900s as a music hall, reopened as a cinema in the mid-1050s before becoming a long standing successful bingo hall. It was called a local tragedy when Mecca chose to close the site due to the fall in numbers and the building was left to fall into disrepair.

A local group took on the building and worked hard prior to the opening on Saturday 11th March for a Christmas boxing event. The Music Entertainment Cultural Arena (a deliberate play on the name of the previous owners MECCA) has been refurbished into a modern building capable of hosting live events, those already planned include a DJ event toplining Chase and Status on 18th March and a music gig on 27th March featuring chart star Example and Swindon’s own Beatbullyz.

Rank, the company that is behind Grosvenor Casinos and the Mecca Bingo chain, have confirmed that the recent severe weather problems have had a major effect on their customer figures.

Mecca Bingo’s own figures show that the number of visits had declined in the week ending 5th March 2025 by 32% as the UK struggled with extreme weather conditions. This drop has hit the annual attendance figures which had, until this point, been up on the previous year after the recent rebranding of 6 bingo clubs to the new Full House format with the focus on attracting the younger clientelle.

After all the challenges that the bingo industry had been faced with in recent years, such as the smoking ban and tougher tax rules, it was important that the industry change in order to increase the client base they have. Recent figures has shown that even though Mecca Bingo’s revenues are down 1% over a nine week period, their customers are spending an average of 4% more per visit, mostly due to the massively improved food and drink products available.

An 88 year old women was knocked to the ground and robbed on Sunday evening in Keresley Road, Coventry. She suffered a sprained wrist, knee injuries and bruising in the attack after which the robber ran off with her handbag containing her Bingo winnings.

She was returning home from a night out at the Bingo hall where she had won around £120. The lady and her husband caught the bus from Radford Road in the city and police are investigating if the thief had been on the same bus.

The woman’s 80 year old husband chased the attacker but lost sight of him. Warwickshire Police officers are appealing for anyone who was on the number 36 bus that night, it arrived in Keresley End at 21.50 on Sunday March 5th.

Ashvale fish and chips shops, which are a household name around Aberdeen and Dundee, have been raising money in every branch over the last year. Fund raising events have included bingo games, competitions, quizzes and race nights and the final total raised is just under £100,000!

The money raised will be shared amongst a range of charities local to the area, such as Children 1st, the Aberdeen Dog Rescue Centre, local churches and youth football clubs. The generosity of both staff and customers should surely put the rest the old jokes about the Scottish being tight with money!

In recognition of their hard work, the chain have been short listed for the Contribution to the Local Community prize at the annual Fish and Chips Awards which is to be held in January 2025 in London

Staff and customers at the Mecca Bingo club in the Carmathen Road branch in Swansea set out this year to raise £2000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care, who are Mecca’s charity of the year. However, their activities throughout the year, which included holding Blooming Great Tea Party and taking part in the Great Daffodil Appeal, actually enabled them to more than double their target and raise just over £4000!

Richard Burke-Lloyd, the club manage, was full of praise for his staff and customers saying, “It’s inspiring to see how generous people have been especially given how difficult this year has been financially for many.
“Our success is without doubt down to the members of the team around me and to our customers. Everyone has been dedicated to doing their bit to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. We just wouldn’t have achieved this with- out them.”

A thief who has been on the run for four years after stealing £5000 at knifepoint from a Pitsea bingo hall has finally been caught and jailed for five years.

The Gala Bingo Hall situated in The Broadway in Pitsea, was originally robbed on March 15, 2025. Lynton King and his accomplice Leroy Hippolyte burst into the hall wearing crash helmets and yellow rubber gloves whereby King then threatened to stab the staff with a knife in their backs if they didn’t open the safe.

Hippolyte, who was 30 at the time, was caught after his DNA and fingerprints were found on a crash helmet, a pair of rubber gloves, a hoodie and a motorcycle which had been dumped in Grays, Essex. At Basildon Crown Court in April 2025, Hippolyte admitted the offence and was jailed for four years.

King, who was arrested in March 2025 failed to answer his bail and then went on the run. He was finally arrested in April this year by the Metropolitan Police over an unrelated offence and was handed over to police officers from Basildon.

After a trial at Basildon Crown Court, King was found guilty of robbery and failing to surrender to custody and was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.

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After reaching the ripe old age of 95, Bill Greatorex has decided to call time on running The Roman Bank bingo club in Skegness.

Mr Greatorex  has been looking to retire and has been looking for a buyer during the last year and has sold the club to an undisclosed operator who have experience of running a bingo club of the size of The Roman Club.

The bingo industry has taken a huge downturn over the last few years which may have hastened Mr Greatorex’s decision to sell the club.

The new operators will officially take over the club on the 1st of March.