High Court gives 1,000-seat bingo hall green light

A BINGO hall capable of seating 1,000 people will open its doors in Cork to-night after the High Court gave it the green light.

A number of objections, including one from the gardaí, were made against the Rock Bingo centre, but a special sitting of the High Court on Saturday found in favour of the bingo promoters.

James Barber, speaking on behalf of the family behind the Rock Bingo centre, said they were very happy with the ruling.

“We have invested more than €700,000 in this state-of-the-art entertainment centre, which can cater for 1,000 people. We are bringing 30 new jobs and we are creating a fabulous fundraising opportunity for our charity partners,” he said.

The family took the High Court case after what they saw as an attempt by the state to prevent them opening a legitimate and lawful enterprise.

As operators of a bingo establishment, the company must work with a beneficiary charity and non-profit organisations that hold current lottery licences.

These are now in place and as a result Rock Bingo says it will raise significant funds for each organisation.

James Barber’s son, David, who will be part of the team operating the centre, said they were delighted to finally be opening at the former Waters Glass premises in Togher.

“This will be superb for the people of Cork who will be able to enjoy a great value, fun night out in a safe, alcohol-free environment. We were disappointed that we had to resort to court action and we sincerely hope that the matter is behind us now and that our newly recruited team can concentrate on getting our doors open and that we will now be supported by the authorities,” David said.

The facility will feature hi-tech bingo systems, customised seating and a restaurant and cafe. Doors will open at 6.30pm today, with the first bingo session getting underway at 8pm.