The Bingo Association donates £1.3 Million to charity

Miles Baron, Chief Executive of The Bingo Association, has handed over a charity cheque of £1.3 million to Joe McFadden, an ambassador of Variety, a charity organisation focusing on underprivileged children, at a parliamentary reception. The bingo operators in Great Britain raised the amount through their customers and staff and offered the amount for charity.

MPs, bingo operators, bingo players and charity beneficiaries from various parts of the country attended the event.

As Variety enters its 70th year in charity operations, the Bingo Association has extended their original four-year partnership for an extra fifth year.

Joe McFadden said: “I’m delighted to be able to lend my voice to a cause as vital as Variety’s – vulnerable children are one of the most at risk groups in our society, and I’m honoured be able to champion their work.”

The Bingo Association’s generous donation means Variety can continue to help disadvantaged young people from across the UK reach their full potential.”

Miles Baron, CEO of the Bingo Association, added:

“I’m incredibly excited to announce over the past four years, bingo clubs have raised over £1.3 million for Variety, the Children’s Charity, smashing our target of £1 million.”

“Variety’s work has a substantial impact on every community it touches, making it the perfect charitable partner for bingo, a social form of gambling rooted in the heart of local communities. It’s a delight to see the money raised by our customers go back into the communities it’s raised in, and I’m delighted to be extending our partnership with Variety by another year until the end of 2019.”

Over the past four years, Variety has used Bingo Association funds to provide schools and other organisations with 23 Sunshine Coaches. These coaches are specially adapted to be accessible to children with a diverse range of mobility needs, allowing beneficiaries to plan activities without worrying about the cost, timing, and expense of public transport. Many organisations who had received a coach were in attendance at the event in recognition of the incredible work they do. The Bingo Association were delighted that funds raised by its customers were being reinvested within the very communities from which they are raised.

About The Bingo Association:
The Bingo Association is the trade association of the licensed bingo industry in Great Britain, representing the proprietors licensed under The Gambling Act 2005.
There are 51 proprietors in membership. Membership profile ranges from the large operators, including Buzz (124 clubs) and Mecca (97 clubs), to smaller regional operators like Carlton Leisure (14 clubs) and many single unit businesses.
The bingo sector directly employs over 13,000 people in the UK. Over 3 million customers made over 48m visits to bingo clubs last year.