Bingo

[Charlie Brown]

One of my clients for a christmas party would like me to organise a game of prize bingo....

Does anybody know where I can buy the markers/books for them?

Thanks in advance...

[andyw]

sounds like a good night, you can gaurantee a full house that night:jumping: :sofa:

[Charlie Brown]

Great help. Thanks.

[Vectis]

Ebay. Couple of quid. Sorted.

[Penfold42]

Better than that Charlie.....try looking in Skegvagus when you are next there.
I think brother in law get's them 5 for a £1....:)

[Corabar Entertainment]

Few ideas for the cards anyhow (markers aren't essential: they can just use pens, but I have seen the 'dobbers' in places like WH Smiths)

Print your own: http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/index.htm
Re-usable sets: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Giant--BINGO-CARDS-reusable-tickets-care-home-disabled_W0QQitemZ230375014465QQcmdZViewItem
Tickets and Bingo ball sets: http://www.jesters.com/acatalog/gambling.html?gclid=CPr1p4i4iJ0CFcQB4wodfGGjMA

Just one thing though: not sure about the law regarding bingo and whether you need a license to run 'games of chance' of this nature.

[Charlie Brown]

Thank you very much for all your help.

Really appreciated. :)

[DJ Jules]

Just one thing though: not sure about the law regarding bingo and whether you need a license to run 'games of chance' of this nature.

From memory you need a license if people pay to play it. Also, only 18+ can take part in games for money (but any age can take part in games for just prizes).

If it's just a bit of fun with some random prize and you're not taking cash off the punters I think you're ok - but I'm sure someone (who may work in an office with Trading Standards ;) ) may be able to clarify this.

Julian

[Charlie Brown]

They are just having a prize bingo?

[Corabar Entertainment]

From memory you need a license if people pay to play it. Also, only 18+ can take part in games for money (but any age can take part in games for just prizes).

If it's just a bit of fun with some random prize and you're not taking cash off the punters I think you're ok - but I'm sure someone (who may work in an office with Trading Standards ;) ) may be able to clarify this.

Julian
I think you are right on that one. It's the reason that 'casino nights' use monopoly money, but just something to bear in mind and consider.


They are just having a prize bingo?

Are they buying the books though?

[DJ Jules]

They are just having a prize bingo?

Do their guests have to pay to enter it, or is it just a bit of fun? If not, then you're fine (because they're not actually "gambling" anything on the outcome of the games).

Julian

[Charlie Brown]

I think they pay to come...and bingo is thrown in free ;)

[Need4Sound]

We've done a few fun games for the kids school.

Try Lees Bingo software, you can create your own tickets and with a projector call the numbers etc.....

http://www.lees-bingo.co.uk/

We use the software but buy the tickets and dabbers as it's cheaper than printing your own and looks better. Ebay is the cheapest we have found.

Richie D
Need4Sound

[gazzaandyp]

as long as you give the books out free and don't charge for them you will be ok, try your local bingo hall and ask them for any old ones say your doing a charity night and they should let you have some, as for the markers your better going to your local poundland shops dead cheap for shedloads !!! i was once a bingo caller so if you need tips .....

[rob1963]

Ebay. Couple of quid. Sorted.

Hiya Charlie,

As Vectis mentioned, ebay is probably the best place for bingo tickets. I do bingo after one of my quiz nights & that's where I get mine from. It's only a couple of quid for a pad of 600 tickets.

You can probably get some cheap dabbers from ebay as well, although I don't have any experience of those, because my punters either use normal biros (which I supply) or they bring along their own dabbers.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Rob - How do you get away with bingo? I suggested it in one of my pubs and the local council shut it down because you need a seperate gamballing licence (hence theres proper bingo halls)

[rob1963]

Rob - How do you get away with bingo?

I just do it!

Nobody has ever said anything to me about it, and the people in my teams who've done the bingo have included police officers...including one who is very high up at Scotland Yard...as I've seen him on the TV news a number of times!


I suggested it in one of my pubs and the local council shut it down because you need a seperate gamballing licence

I'm by no means an expert, but I don't see how bingo is any different to a pub quiz night. In both cases people pay me to take part & the winner gets all the takings.

Maybe they have a licence for the fruit machines which also covers the pub quiz and/or bingo.

I'm sure somebody who knows about these things will be along soon!

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Its to do with gambling if i remember the official council person correctly. Anything in which a person competes to win and uses their skills, be it mental or physical then its not gambling (thing the daft questions on daytime tv competitions, they put them so theres an element of skill involved (apparantly).)

Bingo (and PYCR) are purely chance and are therefore a lottery...and is gambling. The council bloke wasnt bothered about the PYCR...but was about the bingo (seen as it was the local bingo hall complaining).

Incidentally. Im currently developing a pub version of ITV1s The Cube...as its been suggested countles times for the game night. Should be fun :)

[rob1963]

Bingo (and PYCR) are purely chance and are therefore a lottery...and is gambling. The council bloke wasnt bothered about the PYCR...but was about the bingo (seen as it was the local bingo hall complaining).

What about fruit machines in pubs.

Surely it's also purely chance as to whether you win & is therefore also gambling?

:shrug:

[Corabar Entertainment]

They have licences for those machines, but it's specificly for gaming machines and not for general gambling

[BeerFunk]

I shouldn't think it's anything to worry about, I hardly think the police are going to bother themselves with something as petty as taking down a harmless game of bingo - even if it was illegal on a technicality.

(Hello Angela! :))

[Corabar Entertainment]

(Hello Callum! ;) )

...but the local enforcement officer might!

[rob1963]

I shouldn't think it's anything to worry about, I hardly think the police are going to bother themselves with something as petty as taking down a harmless game of bingo - even if it was illegal on a technicality.

My thoughts exactly...especially as the people who've done my bingo over the years have included a number of local council workers & police officers!

[Corabar Entertainment]

No doubt you can get away with it, but that doesn't mean that everyone will - nor does it mean that you should just because you can!

To draw an analogy: you can probably get away without a produb licence (and before anyone says "I don't need one", I am speaking of those that do), but that doesn't mean to say that you should. Most on here try to comply with the law and best practice, and that is really what MDD is about, isn't it? - advising and helping DJs to know what is legal and what is best practice, etc.

[ppentertainments]

I am on a computer in the library as broadband down at home. Once up and running again I will link to some info regarding 'gambling' and how you can run such nights without contrevening gambling laws. I do this all the time with race nights, as kids can participate, and receive cash prizes so long as certain criteria is followed.

[Corabar Entertainment]

That would be useful :thumbsup:

[rob1963]

That would be useful :thumbsup:

Indeed it would.

Thanks PP.

:beerchug:

[Kernow]

Dunno if it helps at all Charlie, but one of my regular Christmas bookings for a military Ball always hold a raffle in which the tickets are given out free of charge during the evening. Everybody pays for their ticket to the function though, which I guess includes an element from the organisers to cover the cost of prizes. These are never cash though, hairdryers to 'event days' type stuff. This is not held on military premises but a posh hotel in Newquay.

It seems pretty much the same, except you need only one correct number rather than fifteen. :)

[DJMaxG]

There are different ways of running it, do you plan to issue pre-printed sheets with the numbers already on, or allow them to choose their own.

as Vectis and Rob agreed on - buying it from ebay.

The Bingo 'Machine' could come from a cheap domestic game, but the sheets that the customers use will have to look a tad more professional, so you could perhaps design your own with Microsoft Publisher/ Word, and Either leave the boxes blank (they choose their own) OR with numbers pre-printed in.

I think it's best to allow them to choose their own numbers.

[Corabar Entertainment]

I think it's best to allow them to choose their own numbers.
I think you've missed the basic concept of 'bingo' there!

[Dynamic Entertainment]

I get what he means there Angela. Ive came across it before. The players get empty boxes...and get to fill in their own numbers at the start, in whichever place they want. They you play as normal. :)

[Kernow]

I get what he means there Angela. Ive came across it before. The players get empty boxes...and get to fill in their own numbers at the start, in whichever place they want. They you play as normal. :)

Surely that then becomes a Lottery...which is an altogether different ballgame (pun intended) as far as the Authorities are concerned :confused:

[Dynamic Entertainment]

It probably is. Ive seen it done in a proper bingo hall though NOT a pub, which more than likely has the correct licences. :)

[rob1963]

I must admit I'd never heard of bingo games where punters can choose their own numbers until I saw the last few posts in this thread. It's certainly not something I'll be doing, as I don't like the idea.

As far as I'm concerned, bingo tickets should have the numbers pre-printed on them, and if you have a strip of 6 tickets you'll have every number.

The idea of choosing your own numbers makes things more complicated, as you'd have to mess about getting a copy of every ticket along with the name of the holder before starting. Otherwise, punters could just write the numbers on their tickets as they were called & cross them off straight away...unless I'm missing something, of course.

:shrug:

[Corabar Steve]

Going back to the licence aspect, a pub I used to frequent (now an estate agents, read into that what you will) was actually pulled up for running bingo afternoons without a licence. Suffice to say, they got one ASAP.

[Twinspin]

http://www.paulsizer.com/images_site/wedding-dj_bingo_card.jpg

:p still makes me chuckle

[rob1963]

I found the following info about bingo in pubs on the Worthing Borough Council website, which was last updated just over 3 months ago HERE (http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/environmentalhealth/licensing/gambling/bingo)

Pub bingo

Pubs that wish to provide facilities for bingo may do so under section 279 of the Act. The following rules apply:

the maximum amount that may be staked by a player in a game of bingo is £5
no amounts may be deducted from sums staked or won;
players may not be charged a fee for taking part;
there should be no linking of games between premises; and,
nobody under 18 may participate.

As with clubs, pubs that wish to offer high turnover bingo (i.e. where stakes or prizes exceed £2000 per week) will require a bingo operating licence from the Gambling Commission. See the Commission’s website (details above) for further information.

[DJ Jules]

no amounts may be deducted from sums staked or won;
players may not be charged a fee for taking part;


If I read that right, it means that players can "bet" a maximum of £5 to say that they're going to win the game, and that all of the "bets" must be paid out to the winner. Meaning that all of the money that goes into the game always has to be paid out and if you want to actually make a profit from it, then you have to have a license.

Incidentally, gambling licenses for small events from your local authority aren't expensive (< £50), but do come with certain conditions (from memory you have to declare every event you do including earnings, etc within a 3 month period and you have to pay gambling tax on any profit from the events).

Julian

[rob1963]

If I read that right, it means that players can "bet" a maximum of £5 to say that they're going to win the game, and that all of the "bets" must be paid out to the winner.

That's also how I read it.

My tickets are £1 each or 7 for £5, and most people spend £5 as this effectively gives them two extra free tickets. No player has EVER spent more than £5.


Meaning that all of the money that goes into the game always has to be paid out

That's exactly how my bingo works. Everything I take is paid out as the prize to the winner.


and if you want to actually make a profit from it, then you have to have a license.

I don't make a profit from the bingo.

I'm paid a set amount by the pub to run a quiz night, which goes on for a couple of hours or so.

The bingo is just an add on which I do after the quiz, and because I pay out all the money which I take, I make no profit from the bingo at all. In other words, my profit from the night would be exactly the same even if I did NOT do the bingo after the quiz.

[DazzyD]

Just one thing though: not sure about the law regarding bingo and whether you need a license to run 'games of chance' of this nature.

This depends on a lot of factors. A one-off low-value game at a private function is unlikely to be stopped because of not having a licence. It would be bad PR for the local council if nothing else. The council I work for let a lot of things go because they're not worth it or not in the public interest. After all, it's public money that is used to fund enforcement services and councils have be very selective as to how that money is spent. A one-off private game of bingo is highly unlikely to lead to a successful prosecution so is unlikely to be targeted for enforcement action.


From memory you need a license if people pay to play it. Also, only 18+ can take part in games for money (but any age can take part in games for just prizes).

Does this mean church fate's and schools have to have a licence to run the raffle/tombola? :confused:


If it's just a bit of fun with some random prize and you're not taking cash off the punters I think you're ok - but I'm sure someone (who may work in an office with Trading Standards ;) ) may be able to clarify this.

Julian

If that's me then, unfortunately, I'm off work with a chest infection at the moment. I'll pop in and see them when I get back, though. However, I don't think this is within the remit of TS anyway so not sure what they can do. I think it's the Licencing Dept that deals with Gaming Licence requests.


Rob - How do you get away with bingo? I suggested it in one of my pubs and the local council shut it down because you need a seperate gamballing licence (hence theres proper bingo halls)

Did the bingo have a roll-over jackpot (often called a Snowball game) where the prizepot could have become substantial? Or maybe it was because it was a regular game and was affecting the local bingo hall?


They have licences for those machines, but it's specificly for gaming machines and not for general gambling

But, the venue should also have a Premises Gaming Licence which should cover games of low-value bingo also. Like any game of chance, only when the value of the game exceeds a certain amount (not sure what this is now but used to be £2,000 in social clubs) then a special enhanced gaming licence is required.


I shouldn't think it's anything to worry about, I hardly think the police are going to bother themselves with something as petty as taking down a harmless game of bingo - even if it was illegal on a technicality.

(Hello Angela! :))

Although maybe not best practice, I agree with Callum here. However, it isn't the police but the local authority/council that would deal with this. For a one-off event the LA wouldn't be bothered to enforce it as it's not worth their while (unless serious sums of money are exchanging hands).

If you want to stay 100% legal, and Charlie's venue doesn't already hold the relevant licences, the following link will help:

http://www.braintree.gov.uk/Braintree/business/licensing/GamblingLaws.htm

As a very minimum, it looks like a Personal or Operators Licence and a Temporary Use Notice will be needed.

[DJ Jules]

Does this mean church fate's and schools have to have a licence to run the raffle/tombola? :confused:

Yup, and as treasurer of the local Parents Association, we do. We also have to do the "declare all income within 3 months of a raffle or lottery" bit, despite the fact that we never pay tax on the proceeds.


If that's me then, unfortunately, I'm off work with a chest infection at the moment.

It is, sorry to hear you're not well :(


I'll pop in and see them when I get back, though. However, I don't think this is within the remit of TS anyway so not sure what they can do. I think it's the Licencing Dept that deals with Gaming Licence requests.

You're right about that - sorry - stupid me.

Thanks for clarifying what you could though.

Julian

[ppentertainments]

For reference :
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/FactSheetRaceNights.pdf

I know this is for race nights, but the same rules can apparently be applied for bingo etc.

When I have the time, will upload my version which is simpler to understand, and has been passed by a solicitor.

[Charlie Brown]

Much appreciated :)