Older bingo players wary of returning: Mecca boss says company must be ‘patient’ over recovery of its venues
Older customers are cautious over returning to bingo halls, Mecca’s owner said.
The boss of Mecca Bingo’s parent company Rank has said it must be ‘patient’ over the recovery of its venues amid continued caution among its older people, despite the easing of Covid restrictions.
John O’Reilly said sales are ‘taking longer’ to rebound across the bingo arm than its Grosvenor Casinos business due to the higher age of its customer base.
Rank boss John O’Reilly said sales are ‘taking longer’ to rebound across the bingo arm than its Grosvenor Casinos business due to the higher age of its customer base
He said: ‘Bingo is a core part of these people’s weekly routines, but, for many, they have been understandably concerned about Covid and protecting themselves so we realise it will take longer for them to have that confidence coming back.’
Rank said net gaming revenue jumped by 88 per cent to £333.7million for the six months to the end of December, compared with the same period last year.
Sales across Grosvenor Casinos steadily grew during the half-year but stalled in December due to Omicron.
O’Reilly said he is ‘optimistic’ now that Plan B restrictions have been eased in England, and there has been some easing of measures across Scotland and Wales.
Advertisement
