Bingo is where it all started for Simon and where he has happily returned to. Born and schooled in Kent, his very first taste of the world of work was behind a till at Selfridges, in customer services. Like so many, this was just a Saturday job while he completed his degree, which then briefly became part-time after graduation, while looking for a permanent career role.
Having competed his degree in 1991 at University of Greenwich Simon was open to what the world might have to offer, “My partner at the time was working for Gala Bingo and through her I found out about the management training scheme and decided to apply” Simon said.
That was it, bingo had snagged him starting in 1991 as a trainee assistant manager at Gala Bingo Woolwich, in London, he spent the next eight or so years working for Gala Bingo in London and the East Midlands, moving on to become a general manager. Working in a range of clubs including Clapham, Leyton and East Ham amongst others.
A key change in Simon’s career came in 2000, when after nearly nine years working in bingo clubs, which gave him an excellent understanding of the mechanics of the business, he stepped out of day to day club management and moved to a head office function.
Joining the Gala Support Office, he worked in the Licensing Department, processing applications for the range of licenses required to run bingo clubs, including premises, performance and alcohol. With over 120 venues at that time, and each venue needing a set of licenses, it was not a small task and one which was mission critical for the business, which is dependent upon possession and validity of such licenses to be legally compliant.
The attention to detail and accuracy required in such a role struck a chord with Simon, who remained in the team for two years, before moving on to a work solely in Bingo Compliance.
“I then stayed with the Group until 2021 taking on more responsibility, eventually heading up the Compliance function during the ongoing merger, acquisition, and re-structuring that the Group went through, moving from Gala Bingo, to Gala Coral, to Ladbrokes Coral, then GVC and finally Entain. During this period, I covered compliance in most sectors, Bingo, Casino, LBO’s and Digital.” Simon said.
In July 2015 Ladbrokes acquired Gala Coral, with the bingo clubs being sold in the December to Caledonia Investment, in effect removing club based bingo from the group. This was something Simon missed having started in bingo clubs, with their operational and customer cultures, that sees people at the core.
In 2021 Simon jumped back to bingo, as Chief Compliance Officer, almost coming full-circle, as the organisation he joined would have been Gala, had it not re-branded to Buzz a few years before he re-joined.
With over thirty years experience in gambling compliance, and a significant proportion of that in bingo, Simon has worked through some of the most significant changes in compliance since the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005. From that vantage point we asked him some key questions about bingo and compliance:
What are the biggest changes that you have seen since you started in bingo – in terms of players and the business, with a focus on compliance?
“Bingo colleagues have always looked after their customers and have supported them when needed. More recently that support now includes being proactive about their financial health and level of affordability in addition to making sure they continue gambling in a safe way.
“Operators and senior management teams are increasingly realising that while this is not without its issues, that this is not just something that we have to do, but it is also the right thing to do, particularly if we want a sustainable business for the long term.”
What are the main compliance risks facing the sector – is there a need a lighter or more informed touch?
“The biggest risk to the sector is generic or poor decisions by policy makers and the best way to prevent this is for them to be more informed about the unique position of bingo. Regulators (both local and national), politicians and commentators should be encouraged to visit clubs and speak to our colleagues and customers to find out for themselves how bingo operates and how we look after our customers and communities.”
Financial uncertainty is a challenge facing all operators and the current climate has added to the list of causes. Covid, energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis, all played out against a regulatory backdrop that is uncertain, with the continuing delay in the review of the Gambling Act.
If you could remove a single aspect of the current compliance regime, what would it be?
“Uncertainty. Affordability, source of funds, and evaluation of interactions are not new concepts. However, we are all learning how to achieve implementation and how this can be effective and consistent particularly in a retail environment. Practical guidance and a level playing field would allow us to focus on delivery.”
“Having worked in the gambling sector for over 30 years ensuring that we have a long term, sustainable and safe environment must be the goal that benefits both customers and businesses alike. What is key is to make sure that the pace of change to meet these goals is achievable and understood by everyone.”
What is the future of bingo – does it lie online or will clubs return to favour through innovation?
“I believe there will always be a place for a retail bingo club and many clubs will evolve over time. Looking back at my club management days we played paper bingo only, no electronic bingo, whilst prize money and par fees were all worked out on large yellow sheets with a calculator always close by! Now almost all mainstage and interval games and the majority of machines are delivered digitally and this is only going to increase over time. In this way retail has already embraced technology that enhances bingo.”
And what of omni-channel? Has becoming an omni-channel brand been a great challenge?
“While at the moment ‘omni-channel’ is a phrase much bandied about, it predominately provides customers with an improved service for their accounts. Putting the IT infrastructure in place to achieve this has been challenging, but it has not fundamentally changed the game of bingo. We hope that with omni-channel in place it becomes a building block in which we can bring games, features, and liquidity together in a way that the customer can experience the best of both worlds when playing with us, or another operator who offers similar scale.”
More of a live music and game of pool fan (he is a big fan of Billy Bragg) – not that he has done much of either lately in a post covid world, Simon always enjoys visiting bingo clubs. Why? “Simple. The people and the community spirit, it’s what has kept so many in the business for so long and why so many return.”
As bingo clubs increasingly move closer to becoming hospitality and experience venues, with acts and events enticing new and lapsed players to return to clubs and the game, it seems they are on to something. If Billy Bragg is booking a bingo club tour we know one player who will certainly be increasing their frequency and spend.
