It’s nice to be able to report on a new bingo hall opening rather than an old one closing, so today feels like a good day to me.
On Saturday, Club3000 opened a brand new bingo hall in Britain’s answer to Las Vegas – the one and only Blackpool!
Alright, it might not quite match up to the scale of Vegas, but this new bingo hall certainly pushes it further in that direction.
It’s not just any old bingo hall either, there has been a huge amount of investment in this club to make it one of the best in the country, and the opening night was celebrated in style with a champagne reception, variety entertainment, and a speech from the owner.
There were a few famous faces in the crowd too…
Opening Night
The new bingo hall has been built on the site of the old Swift Hound pub which was demolished in 2020, so local bingo fans had been waiting a good few years for the big opening night to arrive.
And what a night it was.
A whopping 800+ people turned up to see the new club and try their luck at the bingo, and among them were a few faces that Coronation Street fans might recognise.
Yes there were a couple of the Coro cast there on opening night to officially declare the club open, namely Joe Duttine and Sally Carman-Duttine who play Tim Metcalfe and Abi Franklin in the soap.
The owner of the Club3000 brand, Brian Fraser, said:
“We were thrilled to launch our newest club here at Blackpool, the club demonstrates how we lead the way as a modern-day bingo operator. We welcome all our new customers to the Club 3000 family. It was fantastic so see so many customers celebrating with us on the night.”
It was just celebrity appearances that made the night special though; the crowds were entertained by a magician as well as funny man and impressionist Craig Harper of Britain’s Got Talent fame.
Of course, an awful lot of bingo was played too.
A fantastic night was had by all, and the general manager of the club, Sean Connolly, sounded thrilled about it:
“The opening was a fabulous evening the atmosphere was fantastic, I was delighted to see so many customers at the event and would like to thank them for their support and my team who made it all happen on the night! This is a great community, and we can’t wait to welcome in even more customers in the coming weeks”
If the opening night is anything to go by, he’s going to have a very busy job indeed.
What’s the New Club3000 Bingo Hall Like?
It’s pretty snazzy to be honest – possibly the most upmarket bingo hall i’ve ever seen.
Club3000 have spent £5 million refurbishing the inside of the venue, decking it out with the latest tech and modern fittings, and giving the club a super luxurious feel that puts older clubs to shame.
The entrance and lobby area feels like that of a posh hotel, complete with potted trees, a reception desk and self check in ipad areas, and this leads onto the mini casino room which is full of brand new gaming machines.
This is dwarfed by the bingo hall itself though, which is MASSIVE. There are loads of regular tables as well as some with built in screens in a slightly set back area where talking is more acceptable, and people can play digitally.
It also has a huge covered smoking terrace complete with bingo terminals and slot machines so that anyone using the terrace can still have a game; a large bar area with comfy sofas and a partly glass floor to ceiling wall so people can keep an eye on the bingo hall, although there are also places to buy food and drink in the hall itself; and plenty of restrooms.
In short, it’s one of the most impressive and best thought out bingo halls in the country, and if this is the way bingo halls are going, I think the crowds will love it.