October 12, 2026

Archive

Mitchells and Butlers returns to growth with sales up 1.2 percent

Skegness Pleasure Beach reflects on “60 years of fun” for World Fun Fair Month

Level Up Arcade in Barrow to host a 24-hour charity gaming marathon

Badenoch warns betting tax rises are ‘cannibalising’ high streets

“Giving them the power to see and feel the difference where they live”: Government musters up a measly £210m fund to “bring people back into town centres” 

Parkdean on a roll with double-digit profit growth for 2026

Cost of hiring young people jumps 40 percent since 2016

Where is the UK bingo offering heading to next? Media chalks up the performance of Buzz and Mecca to find the multiple routes for future success

Hospitality insolvencies down 24 percent between July and August

Fayre Play emerges from the Dragons Den with a £200,000 investment 

Clacton Pier to transform historic Jolly Roger for new Halloween event

Gareth Gates praises Britannia Pier renovations ahead of pantomime appearance

Maximising benefits: Clarence Pier seeking local views on impact of Victorious Festival

Karen Cooke: “That is really what ACOS is about: bringing together the people, products, ideas and organisations that make up this industry and giving them a focused environment in which to do business, exchange ideas and look ahead”

SX Leisure celebrates 20 years at Essex House HQ

“The real Las Vegas”: Old School Nudgers urge players to support Blackpool’s classic machines

UDC making waves with Surf Van interactive kiddie ride

EAG360 and BALPPA announce landmark partnership ahead of January’s London expo

Game Nation recognised at CHIPS Golf Day as industry charity edges closer to 800th wheelchair presentation

All systems go for SB Machines with launch of new rocket ride and return of Peppa Pig Bus

The Big Picture to launch new £2.4m bowling and leisure venue in Ashford

Luke Littler leads star darts tournament at Mecca Bingo Blackpool

Reflex focusing on tailored approach at ACOS with a range of versatile products

Cain’s to fight on after North London planning refusal?

Goddens to revive a “declining high street” with new Margate bingo centre

NGUK to cast its spell at ACOS with the launch of new Magic Games Magic Play HD 96 Pack

Hollywood Slots’ revival plan for Paignton rejected by local council

MERKUR-owned Victoria Gate Casino targets 300,000 visitors, boosts Leeds night-time economy and supports 130 full-time jobs

Cultivating allies, engaging with critics and working to change minds: Bacta’s Director of Communications Allaster Gair reflects on the Labour Party Conference

Luxury Leisure given 24-hour licence for Norwich AGC

UK a “bad investment bet” says prolific entrepreneur and Brighton Pier owner Luke Johnson

Locked and loaded: Harry Levy Amusements appoints Gareth Locke as director of operations

Ten Entertainment reports record revenue of £159.9m for 2025 but costs of doing business still drag ambitions

Foxcroft plays to base on her debut but lacks facts in “echo chamber” first appearance

More than 500 businesses attend Working With Universal partnership event

Heineken leads £300m race for 300 Stonegate pubs

E-Service primed for successful ACOS showing after strong summer

Stonegate delivers “another period of strong profit growth” during Q3

Grand Pier surprises patients at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children with dino visit

125 Up: Silcocks celebrates Golden Gallopers anniversary

Welsh tourist hotspot forced to pull back on visitor levy  following fierce local objections

Gambling Commission redefines “informed choice” following latest “rapid desk review”

Is Healey the healer? GBG lodges members concerns to Chancellor on the impact of proposed MGD increase 

Oh Lord: NTIA leads calls for a VAT cut as pub profits spill to just 3p per pint

Taxes and regulation will have a “disproportionate” effect on SMEs says economic analyst

Clacton Pier Oktoberfest gets off to Oom-pah-positive start 

Coral Island offers autumn warmth and “kids eat free”

A solution for piles: repair work resumes on Worthing Pier

Two-years after being named CEO Mark Jepp explains the turn-around vision that’s driving Game Nation

Sega Amusements COO Justin Burke warns of the pitfalls of  buying direct from China

EAG360 launches enhanced app with digital event companion going live

“Incredible”: Electrocoin enjoys an ‘electric’ show at IAAPA with Fallout playing a starring role

Bacta takes crucial economic, social impact and lived experience arguments to Liverpool for Burnham’s first Labour Party Conference

Players Sports Bar opens in Hastings

Lawyers hit back at opposition to Luxury Leisure’s AGC extension in Scarborough 

Southend residents want arcade and FEC in restored Kursaal 

JNC Sales launches Star Cyclone II on the back of “superb” summer testing

Former Hammersmith pub to reopen as bingo hall

You can have it all: Rudd data shows the full value of a varied entertainment mix

Dransfields chair Chris Haley flags “devastating” impact MGD rise would have on social clubs

Buzz County Clubs reports £50,000 loss for 2025

Arcade Club adds new titles to Blackpool venue

Tenpin approved for 20-lane Peterborough bowling alley

Mad house: bingo rounds on the government warning a  machines tax hike will threaten clubs future 

Vicky Foxcroft finally confirmed as gambling minister but her duties stretch far and wide

More than a stop-gap: MERKUR UK employment data demonstrates how gaming is becoming a career of choice

‘More sparkle’: Blackpool’s Central Pier illuminated once again with new signage

Lane7 enters Wales for first time with new Cardiff site

Four arrested after a second gambling raid in Manchester

Southern comfort: Boomerang Digital completes prestigious installation at Godden’s Deluxe Bingo in Margate

Rise and falls: latest stats reveal a mixed bag for land based sector as revenues recover but venues regress

Pleasurewood Hills and Paultons Park share top title at UK Theme Park Awards

Labour mayors expected to impose 5 percent tourism tax

Waugh: “Appeasement” must end, Commission must be “challenged”

Digital IDs approved for pub payment in potential boost for gaming machines

UKHospitality lays out four essential Budget measures to boost the sector 

Betting and gaming tax receipts rise 19 percent to £1.93bn

Beefeater closes all 106 restaurants as Whitbread pushes ahead with overhaul

Haven turnover nears £1bn as holiday park operator “thrives”

Greene King dismisses claims 150 venue sell-off motivated by financial pressure

Pubs buck economic slowdown as consumers swap shops for pints

Southport Pier restoration reaches “important step forward” as steelwork repairs begin

Bournemouth Pier repair fund cut by almost half as BCP Council shuffles its budget pack  

Peter Hannibal: “We believe that we have an obligation to our Members to say the things that they want to say but are not in a position to say freely”

EAG360 rallies ‘Smile Economy’ to support Little Lifts breast cancer charity partner

Welsh Government  to cut rates for small hospitality businesses by 30 pc … but not for arcades?

Dyers ready for a new term at Priory Hill and Nutts Farm holiday park

Mecca Bingo celebrates 65 years in Britain

Instance Automatics to showcase Pickleball Rivals at IAAPA Europe

Reflex prepares “most explosive line-up yet” for ACOS ‘26

From Southampton to Soho: Game Nation customers sport stubble and fake facial hair in celebration of World Beard Day

Liberty Bell team raises nearly £6,000 for Bacta Charitable Trust after Rat Run success

Novomatic Gaming UK returns as sponsor of ACOS Exhibitor Party

Commodore Bingo “very much staying open” despite possible sale of Ryde hall

“It’s absolutely crippling us”: social clubs face a battle for their future as costs soar and tax rises threaten revenue options

Sailor Boy Amusements owner Scott Masterson dies aged 52

Pleasurewood Hills confirms four new rides hot on the heels of Theme Park Awards win

Boomerang Digital completes single platform technology transformation for Wilson Casino

Gambling Commission visits LOL Bingo during Southport trip

MERKUR Casino UK names former Gambling Commission executive Dan Whitlam as Head of Compliance

NQ64 opens largest venue yet in central Soho

Buzz Bingo calls for “stable and proportionate regulatory backdrop” to help bingo thrive

High Score Arcade admits defeat after ayear-long battle to save the troubled venue in Swindon 

Tim Martin slaps the government down: decision on the high street is “not up to the Prime Minister”

Bingo Association launches My Bingo series highlighting role of clubs in communities

“Being a regulator is never easy”: Miller marks last day as executive director of Gambling Commission

Bingo Association: the local community will pay the heaviest price if the threat of MGD hike is carried through

Professionals at Play looking to overcome a “challenging” H1 with ambitious plans for ‘27

Burnham commits to supporting pubs with business rates relief despite frugal soundings from Treasury

Leisure spending up as consumer confidence returns

New Euromat research exposes the rampant growth of Europe’s illegal black market

Teignmouth Grand Pier launches £250,000 rescue appeal

Britannia Pier thanks visitors with final summer weekend offer

Adam Williams talks re-opening, delays and expectations for happy return of the Happy Valley entrance at Llandudno Pier 

Joseph Cullis: “Reform representatives have previously been willing to listen to the concerns of our sector, and we want to continue building that constructive relationship”

“It is all junk”: GamCom youth survey criticised for implausible responses

Registration opens for EAG360 as Excel London prepares to host the ‘smile economy’

Ballymena BID backs the 24-hour operation of amusement arcade to help support the night-time economy

The half high street debate: Steve Sharp calls for a high street debate shaped by what people do want rather than what they don’t want

MERKUR launches Leeds community programme as part of its city-wide support

E-Service strengthens team with appointment of Martyn Gunter

“Inflationary pressures”: profits drop at Carlton Bingo as operator battles the economic headwinds

Boomerang Digital unveils refurbished PayStation deal ahead of ACOS

Mostyn Estates advances plans for new £3m entertainment venue in Llandudno

Back to the Floor: Game Nation head office team swap their desks for the shop floor

Craig Beer takes on sales role at Heddleworth Amusements

We are the champions: Electrocoin urges market to choose original Football Champ at IAAPA Europe as patent infringement case proceeds in Chinese legal system

Chongie hoping to establish itself in Rotherham with a new venue

Financial crime and fraud expert Ruth Evans appointed chair of Gambling Commission

Chancellor considering an MGD rise ahead of “challenging” Budget

Debacle on Levy transfer street: GamCare reports of disruption across its support services during first phase of distribution

Clacton Pier launches first Blue Light weekend

Holland champions FECs role in British seaside revival

Treasury dampens hopes of a VAT cut for pubs, warning it will “cost a lot of money”

Gair: you cannot tax or regulate lawful industries out of existence simply because you dislike them

Reece Holland named as finalist for BBC Make a Difference award 

Gen Z and Millennials drive Buzz Bingo revenue to £241.4m but employment costs bite into profits

Euromat research shows value of Europe’s illegal online gambling market has tripled in six years to €12bn

Nick Rudd: rising costs threaten pubs at the heart of every community

‘A show that’s by the industry and for the industry’: Chairman Nick Harding previews what visitors can expect at the re-branded EAG360 and issues an open invitation to Prime Minister Andy Burnham

Adventure Island extends Southend’s summer season with  an extra opening day

Four weeks left for industry to shape Commission red tape review

Holidaymaker celebrating 40th wedding anniversary wins £250,000 jackpot at Regal Bingo Bridlington

UK cash use falls to just 8 percent but the pace of decline is slowing

‘Another review just doesn’t cut it’: hospitality bosses urge government for action on rates rather than another investigation

UK attractions report a 6 percent increase in visitation for 2025

More than 10 million holidaymakers planned staycations this bank holiday

Gordon Brown steps up calls for massive increase in MGD despite warnings that move could “cost thousands of jobs”

Blackpool Pier Company responds to Planning Inspectorate’s ruling on rides

Ian Eason reflects on changing consumer habits and their impact on the seaside

Rising costs force Escape Room Hull to close

Bowthorpe locals nominate Namco Funscape as asset of community value

Game Nation and Boomerang Digital get into top gear with Donnington Park VIP-Day

North Northants councillor launches petition against Shipley’s Casino

Blackpool Pleasure Beach targets 2027 return for historic River Caves ride

‘Vital Stability’: children’s charity Momentum reveals the crucial social impact of MERKUR’s support

LCE Property submits plans to convert Peckham Wetherspoon into bingo hall

Mecca Bingo completes £1.6m renovation of new Stockton venue

Bowl Central targets the competitive socialising crowd on the south coast

Eastbourne Pier reopens after fire forces full evacuation

Boomerang proves the power of connected game-changing tech with JEM Leisure installation

Irish Gaming Show unveils new identity for 2027 as hopes rise for next edition

Bandai Namco confirms operational benefits of Boomerang’s connected tech ecosystem

As Brits prepare for the Summer Bank Holiday YouGov poll shows 77 percent of respondents believe seaside arcade closures would have negative consequences

Bridgwater councillors play Aim to Permit card early rejecting Palace Amusements’ AGC plans

PT Vlogs praises Showmen heritage display at Shaw’s Amusements

IATA president Jim Rickard celebrates 90th birthday

Government and local leaders uniteto maximise Universal UK impact

Burnham’s ‘hollowing out’ of the UK high street: 540 betting shops down and more to come 

“I could shut all 200+ of my shops and I guarantee you the vast majority would still be empty in a year’s time’: Knight takes Burnham to task on high street gambling venues

Buzz Bingo chief  makes the community case

Hospitality insolvencies up by 10.2 percentduring Q2

North Pier calls for engagement with council’s Heritage Investment Strategy

Future of Teignmouth Pier in doubt with funding for essential work unlikely to roll out until 2030

“The 2005 Act is a pre-mobile, analogue Act for a digital age. The Commission is a creature of the Act, so it too is not fit for purpose…” 

The Burnham doctrine: how will changes to the Gambling Act 2005 to remove ‘aim to permit’ play out?

UDC, Sega and E-Service commended for ‘Waving the flag for EAG360’ as show organisers launch suite of marketing assets

Hot weather hitting indoor operators as venues report “heat kills trade”

Adventure Island chairman calls for long-term VAT reduction plan

Game Nation CEO: “This is what investing in people should look like”

Government launches review of business rates calculations for pubs and hotels

The real dodgy dealings Mr Burnham: Labour MPs very happy to keep their noses in the freebie expenses trough

Sold out: ACOS 2026 sets new show high as the Autumn expo reaches record size

Revoking Aim to Permit risks wholescale reform of primary legislation warns former Gambling Commission manager

Star Amusements team recognised by Essex Police for bravery during Southend disorder

End of an era: Paul Gauselmann, founder of the Merkur Group, and one of the global industry’s most influential figures, dies at 91

Herne Bay Pier enjoys its “busiest summer in years” following call for support

Airobowl heading for Keighley high street

Mecca Bingo withdraws Dagenham 24-hour opening plans

Luxury Leisure approved for expansion at Brighouse AGC

Reflex Gaming brings Piggies Prize Party to Cat C

NSM Music welcomes Wetherspoon’s decision to ban music from phones

Radical gathering: RBW visits US distribution partner as Guardian marches across the States 

‘Sad and Shameful’: Dransfields Group Chairman warns that an increase in MGD will push social clubs to the brink

Gambling Commission Acting CEO Sarah Gardner is shown the latest safer gambling advances during MERKUR Slots venue visit

Dabbers names Rachel Baker winner of 2026 Comedy Caller Contest

Preparations underway for World Fun Fair Month 2026

Economic experts reject Burnham’s stance on AGCs  on the high street

Waugh takes aim at Lord Foster and the Commission over the misuse of statistics 

It’s not enough: pub industry says planning protection measures will not stem closures

Thomas calls for a rethink of Britain’s high streets

Zero-hours reforms could deepen youth jobs crisis warns UKH

Burnham to “go further” in plans for high street but AGCs remain beyond the pale

Council gives Southwold Pier the green light for holiday lets and arcade improvements project 

Plans for FEC in former Rothesay church recommended for approval

Mckean’s Family Fun Fair warns operators after counterfeit notes used at attraction

A pier review: council to rethink Bournemouth Pier repair plans after no contractors come forward

Government’s stance on AGCs risks reigniting the divisive gambling versus gaming debate

Return of Sunset Sessions at Cromer Pier sees hundreds queue for entry

Going commando? Labour steps up efforts to protect its heartlands requesting the Gambling Commission to investigate firms linked to two Reform donors

Game Nation HR Director hails company-wide pride following latest life-changing CHIPS presentation

Rank Group warns higher tax will “cast clouds” over the UK bingo industry

Bongo’s Bingo names former PA Jessica Helliar as new CEO

Teen Spirit hits back at Burnham’s “incredibly disappointing” stance on AGCs

Bacta Survey: Business confidence tanks as 96 percent of industry less optimistic under Labour

Blackpool’s South Pier denied permission for new rides after public inquiry rules in favour of council decision

GBG invites Andy Burnham to engage with gambling businesses during tour of UK

Adventure Island gets the go ahead for “unique” new seven-bedroom hotel in Southend 

Derek Webb: ‘I’m not a dodgy donor – I have no commercial interest in my campaign to reform gambling’

Bingo Association calls on Burnham to include bingo in rates cut

Digital upgrades elevate exhibitor visibility across entire EAG360 ecosystem

MERKUR UK supports Londonderry’s Waterside Women’s Centre in an effort to reduce isolation for new mums

‘Irresponsible’: Clacton Pier condemns the British Democrats for  attempting to light pyrotechnics on decking

Silvertime granted licence for Earl’s Court venue despite planning rejection

Bacta President challenges Government’s “fundamental misunderstanding” and criticises rhetoric on regulated high street gaming

Burnham to scrap Aim to Permit in bid to “restore our high streets”

Merlin invites visitors to celebrate National Rollercoaster Day 

Guardian celebrates magic of UK’s piers with eclectic list of offerings

House of Lords returns to debate on gambling and young people

The Butt stops here: GBG despatches advisory letter to Brent Council correcting its gambling discourse

Retro gaming finds a new audience as arcade bars reinvent the night out

UK consumer card spending jumped in June as hospitality felt the benefits of World Cup

Staycation surge fails to translate into profits for UK hospitality

Pub gaming machine uptake ranges from 19 to 93 pc across London boroughs

We Do Play cuts its losses and eyes up further expansion

Bournemouth Pier unveils summer programme of promotions 

Funstation heads to Newcastle

Bristol, Doncaster and  Sheffield: three arrested as police raid suspected illegal gambling dens

UK attractions sector on course for 60 pc growth

Showmen’s Guild outlines the sector’s causes and concerns in welcome letter to new PM Andy Burnham 

Stanhope House Leisure reports decline in turnover for 2025 but machines help soften the hit

Blackpool Pleasure Beach opened late for solar eclipse

Playland Fun Park named UK’s most affordable theme park

Boomerang Digital expands team following high profile business wins and dynamic H1 growth

Thieves ram Wetherby service station and steal slots payout machine

LOL Bingo makes strategic move to close Sunderland venue

UDC hits the road with arcade visits from Ayr to Ramsgate

Gambling Commission in turmoil: has the government installed its senior official to help shore up the rudderless regulator?

Bacta prepares its Budget submission warning that a tax on turnover threatens operators, supply chains, investment and jobs

‘A holiday park must-have’: Jigsaw wins top endorsement from The Dyers’ Caravan Park TV personality