Bingo Firm Turns 22 Into Winning Number

Gala Bingo wants the government to reconsider the bingo tax hike.

Gala Bingo decided to raise awareness of the bingo industry's tax plight by making 22 a special winning number at its clubs over the weekend.

Members of the numbers game industry are currently protesting at the government's recent decision to increase bingo duty from 15 per cent to 22 per cent.

To draw attention to the debate, Gala said that every player who called a 22 - otherwise known as 'two little ducks' in bingo parlance – would receive a prize of £100 on top of their winnings.

"We see no reason why bingo should pay a higher level of tax than other parts of the gambling sector. This tax rate is damaging a much-loved game," Simon Longbottom, managing director of Gala Bingo, told the Times.

Chancellor Alistair Darling announced that bingo duty would rise to 22 per cent after VAT payments on bingo games were abolished in April's Budget.

However, bingo operators are outraged that sports betting shops and online casinos will continue to be taxed at 15 per cent.

Gala runs over 175 bingo clubs with more than five million members in the UK.