Bingo duty dropped to 20% in pre-budget report

In a bid to help Britain’s gaming industry, which has been hit by the recession, the government has decided to cut bingo duty from 22% to 20% in its pre-budget report. It has been a tough couple of years for land based bingo halls as falling sales because of the recession and the smoking ban in 2007 have hit them hard. Ian Burke, the chief executive of the Rank Group told press that the drop in duty could boost profits by up to £2.5 million a year, but also stated that the duty cut should have been bigger. He said, “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. However, it is still not clear why Britain’s bingo clubs should be subject to a higher tax rate than that applied to other forms of gaming and betting.” The Bingo Association, which was against the initial duty rise to 22% said, “the fight continues to get bingo back to the 15% rate”.