Listen to this article:In good news for bingo players, plans for a new bingo hall and gaming centre in Hastings were approved. However, some limits have been imposed on how the venue can operate. The decision, made by the council’s licensing panel in early December, will allow high street operator Merkur Slots Ltd to move forward with a bingo premises licence for its venue on Queens Road. The location is close to the reopened Deluxe Bingo hall in Hastings, which was renovated last year.
An objection to the application was submitted by The Godden Gaming Organisation, which runs Palace Amusements in White Rock and The Deluxe bingo hall and gaming centre in Pelham Place. While only a single objection was formally lodged, it led to further questions around gambling facilities in Hastings, particularly in relation to antisocial behaviour, crime levels, and the balance between bingo and gaming machines.
After the hearing, the councillors opted for a middle ground. Rather than rejecting the application, the panel granted the licence with additional safeguards. Most importantly, the venue’s opening hours have been restricted to between 9am and midnight. Merkur Slots had originally sought permission to operate around the clock. The panel also imposed a requirement for at least two staff members to be present whenever the premises are open.
Several further conditions were added to the licence. Merkur Slots will be required to maintain an electronic log detailing customer interactions and staff handovers. A facial recognition camera must be installed at the entrance, which was described during the hearing as a measure “for the purposes of protecting vulnerable customers”. The shopfront must clearly present the premises as a place to play bingo, rather than focusing on gaming machines, and the operator must engage with the Priory Meadow security scheme. In addition, Merkur Slots will need to surrender a licence it currently holds for another, non-operational site on Queens Road.
Many of these conditions were the result of suggestions put forward by The Godden Gaming Organisation. They argued that the application did not sufficiently account for “specific localised issues” in Hastings, pointing to what it described as a high level of antisocial behaviour and crime in the town centre. It also raised concerns that the proposed venue would create a “machine-led environment” in which bingo was not the primary activity, something it argued runs counter to both national legislation and local licensing policy.
The objections were contested by Merkur Slots’ legal representative, Sarah Le Fevre. Talking to the panel, she rejected claims that the company’s Local Area Risk Assessment was inadequate, stating:
“There is some perception of inadequacy in our Local Area Risk Assessment (LARA). We don’t accept that. You have the … original version and the revised version.
“We characterise it as being extensive, detailed, expressly incorporating our own learning and knowledge and observations about this particular locality, placing those issues in the context of our controls, which we have in place to minimise those risks.”
Ms Le Fevre also spoke about the scale of Merkur Slots’ UK operations and noted that the company runs around 230 venues nationwide, including in areas “experiencing high social deprivation and other social issues”. She argued that bingo was a core part of the Queens Road proposal, adding that if the operator’s intention had been to focus solely on gaming machines, it could instead have applied for an Adult Gaming Centre licence.
The Godden Gaming Organisation also pointed to a financial penalty issued to Merkur Slots UK Limited by the UK Gambling Commission earlier in the year. The regulator found the company had breached social responsibility requirements after staff failed to intervene appropriately in the gambling behaviour of a customer at a Stockport venue in November 2023. According to the Commission, licensees are required to interact with customers in ways that minimise the risk of gambling-related harm.
Ms Le Fevre explained that the incident related to a single customer over a short period and was the result of staff not properly implementing existing procedures. She said the Gambling Commission had accepted that interpretation and that the company had since taken extensive remedial action. This included changes to policy and process across all venues, aimed at strengthening safer gambling practices and supporting staff more effectively.
In addition to the licensing discussion, the councillors also spoke about planning permission. A recent planning application to change the Queens Road property from retail use to an adult gaming centre was denied in October. Planning officers cited concerns about the site’s location in an area of high deprivation and warned that it may have a negative impact on the well-being of residents and visitors.
Ms Le Fevre said that the planning decision is open to appeal. However, until planning permission for the new bingo hall and gaming centre in Hastings is granted, Merkur Slots will not be able to operate with its newly granted licence.
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