DEAR Editor;-
I am trying to understand the logic of closing down social bingo in Margate. Presumably the Gaming Board is also going to have to close down tens of thousands of social bingo clubs in South Africa. How on earth will they do this? Will they have to rely on competitors (eg casinos) to report all criminals who play social bingo illegally? What will they do to the lawbreakers playing social bingo in old age homes for a prize of items like a packet of biscuits?
Where does the betting ruling start and finish? I’m thinking of social golfers who bet each other on the outcome of the game. Is that illegal? Also, all the social card clubs that play for a kitty, eg bridge, rummykub and poker clubs. Friends playing social darts in the pub, when the loser has to buy the next round. Snooker-players. Should families playing card games with beans close their curtains in case they are spotted breaking the law?
Ridiculous? Yes. But social bingo is illegal. How can the Gaming Board condemn small-time gambling, but allow or encourage idiots, naive or desperate people to spend thousands in casinos which, in so many instances, has repercussions for their families? That’s okay. But social bingo is against the law.
Elaine Duncan
Ramsgate
