New Bingo Boss Reveals Big Plans For Wisbech

Wisbech's Empire Bingo club looks set for a makeover under new boss.

Keith Waterman, the new manager of the Empire Bingo hall in Wisbech, plans to modernise the club while retaining its current group of loyal customers.

The businessman, who took over at the Empire following the retirement of previous boss Norman Jacobs, told the Cambs Times that bingo must update its image to appeal to younger players.

He hopes to get more people playing bingo in the Fenland town by bringing a 21st-century atmosphere to the Empire, which was built in the 1930s.

"There is still a stigma about places like this being old-fashioned and we want to change that, bringing new people in as well as our regular players. By modernising this club I think I have a good chance of success," Mr Waterman told the newspaper.

Commenting on the interior of the Empire, he added: "At the moment this is bingo 1960s-style and rather old-fashioned. We will gradually make changes."

Mr Waterman plans to draw on years of experience in the numbers game industry, as he already runs bingo venues in Bury St Edmunds and Thetford.

Bingo operators around the UK are continuing to protest over the government's recent tax increase, which will see duty on bingo games rise from 15 per cent to 22 per cent despite difficult trading conditions.