Sports groups unite to oppose major bingo hall

FIVE major Cork city sports groups have joined forces to hit out at the controversial €750,000 Rock Bingo development, claiming it will have a “devastating effect” on the funding of their organisations.

In a letter sent by Blue Demons basketball club, Glen Rovers hurling club, Na Piarsaigh hurling and football club, Neptune basketball club and the parochial hall in Gurranabraher, the groups said their futures were at risk if the 1,000-seater commercial bingo hall continues.

The correspondence, seen by the Irish Examiner, said the organisations have concerns over the viability of their “services and facilities” in Cork city as a result of the new competitors.

While a court case on whether the Rock Bingo development can continue is before the High Court, the groups said they and other organisations in the city do not believe there is space for a commercial bingo hall in the area.

“We wish to bring to notice the devastating effect a commercial operation such as this would have on the day-to-day funding of our organisations,” the letter read. We do, of course, wish to continue to provide services and facilities for our members and communities. Should the income from our bingo evenings be curtailed or worse, discontinued, it would devastate our organisations.

“The income from our bingo sessions is returned in full as prize money to the bingo players or added to the club funds. This contrasts sharply with the commercial bingo, to which we object.

“The law provides that applications for a licence to run bingo can only be made by charitable or voluntary bodies. Rock Bingo is attempting to circumvent this by asking random organisations to lend their name to their application in return for a token unearned payment.

“In our view this is an abuse of the operation of the legislation and will render void its stated objective.”

Senior Neptune official Jim O’Donoghue said a number of other local groups also support the stance behind the scenes.

He said the named organisations object to the Rock Bingo development being given a licence as they claim there are only about 1,000 bingo players in Cork city.

“That is a core number. Neptune would be one of the biggest groups but our situation is even if we lost 50 clients it would close our bingo,” Mr O’Donogue said.

“Our bingo brings in about two-thirds of our funding. Basketball is a minority sport. We get next to nothing from ticket sales and we need the bingo to survive.”

However, a spokesperson for Rock Bingo said: “This would be an entertainment complex which would be a great resource and which would not affect the clubs and organisations.”

The Rock Bingo development on Tramore Road in Cork city is run by the Barber family, who previou-sly owned the Waters Munster Glass firm, which went into liquidation in April.

The bingo hall is closed pending the outcome of a High Court case next month. It follows a raid by the Superintendent Charlie Barry of Togher Garda Station.

The case surrounds whether the development is allowed under the Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1956.

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