Bingo operator Gala Coral is shedding 200 jobs from its back office staff and could be closing 5 of its 153 bingo clubs which could mean an extra 100 jobs being lost.
Only last week Gala Coral shut its bingo club in Crystal Palace. A further five clubs are in danger of being closed. They are, Hull St Stephens, Port Glasgow, Leven in Fife, Pitsea in Essex and Aldridge in Birmingham.
The firm are reported to be heavily in debt and the job cuts follow 150 staff who were made redundant back in November.
The company blame the job cuts and bingo club closures on the rise in bingo tax from 15 to 22 percent which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the April Budget.
However, Gala Coral have been in trouble ever since the smoking ban, as on top of the six bingo clubs mentioned, 13 bingo clubs have closed down due to falling attendances.