Bingo operators across the United Kingdom have showed great optimism about the series of measures to stop the closure of bingo halls the government is to announce soon. This week Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe told the Bin go Association he would be making a positive statement in short.

In less than a year and a half, 51 bingo venues have closed in the country, mainly due to the effects of the smoking ban, the economic recession and losses linked to the regulation of gaming machines. Currently, there are only 600 bingo clubs in the United Kingdom.

“The Bingo Association has been pressing Mr. Sutcliffe to restore so-called Section 21 gaming machines to bingo clubs,” Paul Tallboys of the Bingo Association said. “We have had a long and constructive dialogue with his department. We are hoping this might be the light at the end of the tunnel.”

For more than a year, bingo operators have unsuccessfully requested the government to ease the tax burden on bingo halls, claiming that they are double taxed, unlike other types of gaming.