It’s true that there are many more bingo companies out there than just Mecca, but they are certainly one of the biggest.
It stands to reason then, that if business is booming at Mecca Bingo, the other clubs are probably doing alright too.
This is why I am happy to suggest that the bingo industry may be showing signs of recovery since the post covid slump, which was made worse by the cost of living crisis.
Inflation is slowing and things are easing up a little, and while I don’t want to turn this into a finance blog, the inflation rate is important because as it gets closer to 2%, the base rate goes down, life gets more affordable, and more people go to the bingo!
The evidence of this was in Mecca’s first quarter report.
Rank Group Report on Mecca
The Rank Group is the large company which own the Mecca Bingo brand, and since they are listed on the stock market, they have to report on their earnings.
This is useful for us, because it means we can get an idea of how they, and therefore the industry as a whole, are doing.
In the first 3 months of 2024, Mecca say they have seen a 5% increase in visitors to their clubs, and a 7% increase in spending by the people that visit them.
This means a 12% increase in sales compared with the same January-March period in 2023, which is great news.
It means people aren’t feeling the pinch quite as much, so they have more to spend on leisure activities.
Rank’s CEO John O’Reilly said:
“Performance continues to improve, and we have the very important land-based reforms from the Government’s White Paper to look forward to, which we hope to start implementing in the coming months.”
It’s not just Mecca either.
Grosvenor Casinos reported a similar 5% rise in visitor numbers and a 3% increase in spends, so it seems like the the high street gambling industry as a whole is on the road to recovery.
The End of Bingo Hall Closures?
What I am really hoping, is that this news represents a turning point in the spate of bingo hall closures we have been seeing.
Since covid, Mecca, Buzz, and other brands have been forced to close their worst performing bingo halls in order to save money, and it was such a regular occurrence that I was beginning to worry for the bingo industry.
Hopefully, this news means that the high street bingo industry has turned a corner, and brands can afford to stop closing venues – maybe a few might even open up again? Who knows.
That might be a little too optimistic, but one thing I know for sure is that businesses don’t close venues when they are making money, so long may this recovery continue.