Liverpool’s Mecca Bingo Hall To Be Turned Into Department Store
Although Mecca Bingo Hall hasn’t been in operation since 2006, bingo lovers were more than miffed when they found that developers are opening a new home interior store in it’s place. Located at Switch Island Leisure park, bingo fanatics frequented the hall until it was closed and 28 employees were laid off. This latest announcement is only minor blip on the radar when compared to the UK’s long line of lost bingo halls. Not a lot is know in regards to the reasons why one of Liverpool’s great chain of Mecca Bingo Halls closed down. Some blame the popularity of online gambling, but a recent ban on smoking also drove bingo players to the confines of their homes.
While bingo fans are, by and large, not moved by this development, Dunelm Mill announced that the lost bingo hall’s location will mark their 100th store. With the grand opening slated for early December of 2010, shoppers will officially take over the spot once beloved by bingo players all over Liverpool. The spot sat vacant for four years before Dunelm Mill made their move. In response to this growing trend, a United Kingdom based website named  Playingbingo.com has opened a new section commemorating closed bingo halls. The area is called, ‘Lost Bingo Halls,’ and features historical blurbs and photos of the bingo halls in their prime. Fans are encouraged to provide information on unknown halls. With many of the UK’s bingo halls struggling to survive and relaxed online gambling rules encouraging the expansion of virtual bingo, the few halls left may not be around much longer.