Trying times are prone to test the community’s unity and its preparedness for action when the need arises. North Bay is now willing to help its bingo hall, which is going through a rough patch. Blue Sky Bingo is threatened by closing for business, as the province refuses to allow it to bring cGaming on site of the venue and improve its offerings.
Modernizing traditional gaming is a way for every location to remain competitive and a preferred entertainment option in an ever-changing gaming field. With so many offerings such as advanced casino locations, online gaming available in the comfort of players’ homes, and more, bingo venues have a rather vintage feeling to them. Introducing interactive bingo with touchscreen technology is crucial for many venues, perceiving it as a golden ticket for a gaming revenue surge.
Bingo Needs Innovative Offerings
March was a tough month for the bingo venues, as the Charity Gaming Federation of Ontario and Charitable Gaming and Bingo Innovation Association made it clear that the facility would not be among the bingo facilities benefitting from the innovative e-bingo platform.
The document included some locations offering traditional bingo action while omitting others and Blue Sky Bingo drew the shorts straw. The explanation behind this move was that Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation seeks upgrade of existing electronic bingo operation.
This meant that some 37 venues already offering modernized bingo action to their patrons are now eligible for a cGaming upgrade. In the meantime, venues still relying on traditional bingo offering would have to open conversation in the foreseeable future.
Once the e-bingo platform has been tested and approved as a reliable one in real life conditions, other bingo locations would be able to benefit from potential modernized offerings. Save Blue Sky Bingo is the organization that wants to prevent a devastating crash and burn of the local bingo scene. The venue is among the ten venues that have been excluded from the modernization wave.
cGaming Upgrade Would Not Reach Bingo Venue
Blue Sky Bingo owner John Rinn, stated that this move came as a surprise for the bingo management, as it pays taxes and strives to remain a reliable source of gaming excitement. The location supports more than 50 local charity organizations, the employment market, and a cGamign implementation would have introduced 30 more job positions to the existing ones.
In 2017 solely the venue was able to allocate some CA$1.2 million to the not-for-profit charity organizations in North Bay and the region. The venue would have to remain competitive in its offerings, as Gateway Casinos & Entertainment is planning to bring its brand new CA$31.3-million casino venue in the area, which would further complicate matters for the traditional bingo venue. Back in 2016 when the conversation about a casino venue first started, the bingo-funded organizations were concerned for their allocations.
In addition to the allocations, the bingo venue also sets aside some 10 percent of the bingo revenue for advertising and promotion of its offerings, equating to some CA$230,000 on an annual basis. Bingo operation is able to bring spectacular results in the long run, as it was confirmed by Jackpot City Bingo in Sarnia and its recent allocation reaching CA$5 million. As many as 100 Sarnia charitable organizations are going to benefit from this amount.
