Bingo Fans Turn To Voodoo Over Tax Hike

Bingo players are concerned over the prospect of further club closures due to 22 per cent tax rate.

The disgruntled members of a Chester bingo club have taken drastic action in response to the bingo tax issue.

With the government refusing to back down over its decision to push duty payments on bingo games up from 15 per cent to 22 per cent, several players at the Mecca Bingo hall have made voodoo dolls in protest.

According to the Chester Chronicle, the dolls bear the image of chancellor Alistair Darling, who included the bingo tax hike in the Budget in April.

Gemma Moran, a 35-year-old bingo fan, told the newspaper: "Alistair Darling is stabbing in the back the very people who helped to put him and the Labour party in power. Now we want him to know how it feels.

"If he doesn't keep bingo tax at 15 per cent then we're worried that clubs like ours could close."

Gala Coral recently shut down its venue in Crystal Palace, south London and has announced plans to close another five bingo clubs this summer.

Around the country, worried bingo players have been petitioning their local MPs in an attempt to have the tax increase reversed.