Listen to this article:Bingo players in Swindon were recently treated to a royal experience when a new bingo hall rolled out the red carpet to celebrate its opening with a special party.
Street. It is located next to a unit that had been empty for more than two years, but last year, the gambling operator received permission from Swindon Borough Council to expand its operations into the neighbouring space and open a new bingo lounge.
The new Shipleys bingo room opened its doors with royalty glamour on Saturday, 30 November, welcoming customers with food, drinks, balloons, and professional lookalikes of Prince William and Kate. Customers were also able to experience the bingo offerings, including the electronic bingo screens.
Interestingly, the real Prince William and Kate Middleton have been associated with bingo events before. During the COVID pandemic, the royal family host a virtual bingo game for Care Home residents, bringing joy and connection during challenging times.
Shipleys now has numerous venues across the UK, including in Worcester, Kidderminster, Edmonton Green, and Mansfield, and more venues are due to open in the near future.
Following the latest opening, area manager Gareth Lewis explained how he takes real pride from the company’s work.
“It’s a place people can come and chat and socialise and put the social back into bingo. We have lunch, snacks and refreshments and it’s somewhere warm that people can come every day and not have to fork out tonnes on electric. We’re putting something back into the town.
It’s affordable, they can spend a tenner and win prize money, everything is with the customers in mind. When it is no longer fun we have a policy to look after customers. There is no alcohol allowed on site at all and we do not serve alcohol. We focus on putting the customer experience first.”
As part of its responsible gambling efforts, Shipley ensures that its evening bingo sessions end before 9 pm so players can still make their way home easily and safely using public transport.
During the summer, signs went up on the empty unit saying that the bingo hall was ‘coming soon’, but no opening date was supplied.
Swindon Borough Council was able to approve the plans as they simply expanded an existing gambling venue in the town centre rather than opening a new one. The council has policies that restrict the number of gambling venues that can open in the borough and, in particular, in the town centre.
A spokesperson for the council explained:
“The proposal will replace an established adult gaming centre operating from part of these premises. Therefore, the number of betting and gambling outlets in the area will remain at four and will not increase to five. Furthermore, the bingo use has distinct characteristics.”
Visitors to the new bingo hall will have numerous opportunities to play. Every day except Sundays, there are morning bingo sessions starting at 11 am and afternoon sessions starting at 1 pm. On Fridays, there are also evening sessions starting at 6 pm.
There are also special offers that players can take advantage of. For instance, School Run Bingo takes place every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 am to 2:15 pm. For just £10, players will receive 48 tickets on all 11 in-house games, 7 link games and the National Bingo Game. In other words, 18 games of bingo.
On Friday evenings, there are free snacks and refreshments and 10 times the prize money up for grabs, including a special prize of £1000 if a player calls on number 10. On Saturdays, for just £10, players receive 48 tickets and 6 links, as well as free food and refreshments.
There is plenty more going on at Shipleys in Swindon and all bingo fans in the area should be sure to visit the exciting new venue.
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