Bingo News

Regulations

Finally, the government of the Valencia Community has approved the new bingo Regulations for this region, that counts on 75 bingo halls and annual sales of 40 million bingo cards. The most important news are the electronic and simultaneous bingo modes, as well as the prima prize, which will be set by the hall manager, and will go from EUR 100.- to EUR 1,200.-, in EUR 100 multiples.- The installation of machines specifically meant for bingo halls will be a reality once the next regional Regulations of Gaming Machines are approved, probably after the summer. According to the Regional Gaming Director in person, these Regulations endeavour to offer a legal framework that will help entrepreneurs to attract customers to their halls, that is to say, make bingo fashionable and profitable once again.

Foundation

The ASECAL-Association of Bingo Entrepreneurs of Castilla-León together with regional authorities governing gaming have created the Social Foundation of Private Gaming in this Autonomous Community. It is the first Foundation of this type to be created in Spain. Its aims are both charity and socially oriented: health and immigration, as well as all small projects that contribute to the improvement of social conditions. Share capital of the new Foundation adds 30,000 €uros and there are many corporations in this industry that have already contributed with a significant support. However, the most important fact concerning this Foundation is that all operators who are members of the ASECAL-Association will allocate 0.10% of their bingo cards’ sales value for financing the social programmes included in Foundation’s objectives.

Agreement

The Government of the Autonomous Community of Madrid has approved the collective agreement for the year 2006. This labour agreement has been signed by the association representing the bingo halls businessmen and operators together with the main unions. This agreement is signed on a yearly basis and has retroactive effect to January 1, 2006. The collective bargaining for 2006 sets a salary rise of 1.7% regarding the previous year.

Launching

The Director General of Gaming of the government of Cataluña has officially launched the new Toc and Supertoc bingo games to be developed in the Catalonian bingo halls; they will start at the end of April and will be managed by the regional body EAJA (under the responsibility of this Director General), with terminals supplied by Cirsa Interactive. In addition, the issuing of bingo cards both material and virtual inside the actual bingo halls has been allowed iwhen they are worth more than EUR 2.- , EAJA will continue with the distribution of all other bingo cards. These new gaming modes, authorized by the regional government and operated by EAJA itself, are number games interlinked via terminals. In the same act, the take off of Accummulated Bingo game and Electronic Bingo game was also put forward; they will start their activity next autumn and will allow private operators to obtain more profit in their bingo halls.

Takeover

VAPREL ,an important corporation of Valencia and producer of bingo equipments, has just carried out the takeover of BTM, a subsidiary company of the Catalonian Cirsa Bingo Corp; BTM is remarkable for its technological and cutting edge development of bingo products; in other words, Vaprel buys BTM brand and the latter gets integrated in the former. Vaprel keeps 80% of share capital and BTM has 20% The business area of both corporations and their know-how is not restricted to Spain, as a 60% of Vaprel turnover comes from abroad and BTM expects to open 56 new bingo halls in Mexico. Vaprel was founded 30 years ago by the same family who runs the business at present. This transaction succeeds in strengthening the position of Vaprel among Spanish bingo operators and expanding its international position, we are talking, therefore, of a strategic operation.

Document

Legal counsellors regarding bingo affairs – GJJ is finishing a „white paper“ on the bingo industry in Spain; C.J.J. counts on the support of the CEJ-Confederation of Bingo Associations. This is a very important document that will see the light in coming months and which includes current regulations as well as the previous one, regulations affecting the sector, labour aspects, business scope, economic figures, results, statistics, etc.