Industry consultant Simon Wykes, former CEO of Gala Leisure and Jackpotjoy, warns Government proposals ignore modern play, threaten high street bingo growth and misapply risk-based regulation.
Policy proposals in the Government’s bingo consultation are heading in the wrong direction, according to industry consultant and bingo luminary Simon Wykes.
The consultation repeatedly describes bingo as the “softest” form of venue-based gaming, but the former CEO of Gala Leisure and Jackpotjoy believes the measures being considered tell a very different story.
“The language is positive, but the policy direction isn’t,” said Wykes, whose 30 years of experience in the sector includes serving as managing director of Mecca Bingo. “The consultation acknowledges that bingo is low-risk, yet the measures being proposed would make it harder to access bingo on the high street. That’s a fundamental contradiction.”
One of the consultation’s core assumptions is that bingo’s decline is linked to customers being channelled into harder machine gaming. Wykes rejects that analysis outright.
“No – and the data doesn’t support it,” he said, warning that Government analysis focuses on headline industry figures rather than the realities of modern bingo operations.
“In 2024, gaming machine GGY in bingo clubs grew by around 7 percent,” he explained. “Over the same period, high street bingo turnover grew by approximately 24 percent. High street bingo is now growing faster than any other part of the UK gambling industry.”
Despite this, the consultation places significant emphasis on floor space, designated bingo areas and minimum bingo positions as proxies for risk. Wykes thinks this is a fundamental mistake.
“Because risk isn’t driven by square footage – it’s driven by product availability,” he stated.
Wykes is particularly critical of proposals based on minimum bingo positions, which he says reflect an outdated understanding of how bingo works today.
“With fibre connectivity and 5G, bingo liquidity is now network-based, not venue-based,” he detailed. “This is a modern bingo solution, not a traditional session-based one.”
Wykes also highlights inconsistencies around physical separation rules.
“It’s internally inconsistent,” he says of attempts to separate bingo and machines while allowing both on tablets.
Ultimately, Wykes warns that forcing operators to choose between bingo and machines will backfire.
“Bingo will lose,” he says. “If forced into a trade-off, investment in innovative bingo formats will stop, accelerating bingo’s decline and leaving harder gaming dominant on the high street.”
His conclusion is blunt: “Regulation must catch up with how people actually play today.”
Wykes’ observations are drawn from an exclusive interview with Coinslot ahead of the UK’s flagship EAG show in less than a fortnight’s time. Incisive and challenging, Wykes pulled no punches in his analysis of the upcoming bingo consultation.
The full interview will feature in next week’s Coinslot which will also be available in print version at EAG in London.
Regulation failing to play catch up
Simon Wykes said… “If forced into a trade-off, investment in innovative bingo formats will stop, accelerating bingo’s decline and leaving harder gaming dominant on the high street. Regulation must catch up with how people actually play today…
Originally published on Coinslot on January 4, 2026. Republished with permission.