It was a long time coming and not an easy ride to open the bingo hall, but LOL, bingo in Wallsend is celebrating eight weeks of opening.
At a time when the bingo news was dominated by talk of closures, LOL Bingo stepped in to fill the void left by Buzz Bingo’s possible closure in Wallsend.
Local dabbers were bereft when news broke that Buzz Bingo Wallsend’s future was in doubt just a few years after the nearby Buzz Bingo Cramlington closed. However, up stepped the new and energetic LOL Bingo, who submitted plans to North Tyneside council to turn a vacant shop into a bingo hall with slots.
After an elongated battle, planning permission was finally received, and the locals warmly received the eagerly awaited LOL Bingo opening. Bingo Daily caught up with Mike Smith, a director at LOL Bingo, just after planning permission was received.
Getting the Bingo Hall Open
BingoDaily: Congrats on the opening! The approval of the planning permission saw nsome strong objections from some council members. What were the biggest objections and how did you overcome them?
Mike Smith, LOL Bingo: “”Some standard objections based on the proliferation of betting
source: Linkedin
on the High St. On the whole the councillors were supportive of an under-invested/empty unit being brought back into us and invested in. We also agreed to an 11pm closure, I think its important to prove the quality and professionalism of our operation to those that weren’t supportive and work with the whole of the committee.
Miles Baron (CEO of the Bingo Association) was also hugely supportive, writing a letter of support to the committee.
I was also in Spain during the hearing so had to ask a close friend to represent us at the planning hearing.
BingoDaily: This is your second branch of LOL bingo. Why Wallsend?
Mike Smith, LOL Bingo”I have always loved the North-East, a real bingo area with lovely people. I was also aware that Buzz Bingo were likely to exit their site in Battle Hill, which would leave hundreds of players without a Bingo offer on their doorstep.
We also found a site that’s at the centre of a thriving High St, which is perfect for our particular type of Bingo/Slots offer.
BingoDaily: What can visitors to LOL bingo expect?
Mike Smith, LOL Bingo: The site will be fab. We are investing lots, not just into ‘tech’ but into the comforts that modern consumers expect. A warm welcome, great Bingo, service at your seat, complimentary hot & cold drinks & one of the best selection of slots in the North-East.
Our ethos is about customer choice delivered with a 5-star service by a well-motivated team of Partners. We are building a really strong team who are ready to welcome customers in the Summer. Our Bingo is played from doors open, meaning that we offer games when the customer wants to visit us, rather than dictating strict times of play. So, if you want to just pop in you can, or stay longer, you can – the customer makes that choice not us. LOL Bingo is all about playing in a comfortable, safe environment with plenty of player interactions.
“Bingo Has a Fantastic Future”
BingoDaily: What’s next on the horizon for LOL bingo?
Mike Smith, LOL Bingo: Exciting times ahead, I hope! We have a small list of target towns that we continue to review. As you can imagine the priority list changes on a weekly basis based on closures, openings, and regeneration plans. I’m pleased to say, we have built up great relationships with both tech suppliers (Wexel being particularly brilliant), shopfitters & local agents which will only help secure preferred sites into 2025 and beyond.
We are committed to evolving our offer further, it’s very easy because we sit and listen to our customers and guard against complacency.
Bingo has a fantastic future; we just need to place the customer at the heart of what we do and we’ll be rewarded through loyalty and the generation of ‘responsible’ levels of profit.
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