Bingo hall finally opens after legal battle

ATTEMPTS to finally kick start a super-bingo venture which has been the subject of an ongoing legal row between its operators and gardaí were successful last night, despite the arrival of gardaí with a search warrant after the games had begun.

Rock Bingo, located at the former Waters Glass premises in Togher, Cork city, opened for business after a recent ruling by the High Court that it was a lawful enterprise.

The operators, the Barber family, had tried to open the 1,000-seater venue in November, but 30 minutes before games were due to begin, gardaí entered the hall with a search warrant and confiscated bingo books.

That was the beginning of a High Court battle that only drew to a conclusion last month.

Last night, gardaí removed some paperwork from the reception area at the premises and then left, allowing the games to continue.

A spokesperson for the family said: “It was unfortunate that the gardaí felt the need to attend as the court had already ruled that the operation was lawful.”

Previously, the owners were successful in gaining an interim injunction, which allowed them to open for another two days.

However, they were then forced to close again after being notified that gardaí intended to carry out another search of the premises, which remained closed while the two sides attended numerous court hearings.

In those hearings, lawyers for the Barber family argued that the gardaí were acting outside their powers.

For its part, the state argued that gardaí were entitled to carry out their duties under the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act.

Eventually, the court ruled that Rock Bingo’s activities were lawful, meaning the venue, which has had a €750,000 facelift, could open at 7pm last night.

The games got under way at 8pm and continued after the gardaí arrived 20 minutes later. It is estimated that about 350 people were in attendance.

The full High Court judgment in relation to the case is due to be delivered on January 12.

As part of the legislation surrounding such operations, Rock Bingo must work with beneficiary partners, which can include license-holding charities and non-profit organisations.