Club Terms and Conditions

Effective May 2018

All Customers must accept and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

These Terms and Conditions may be amended by Mecca Bingo from time to time.

1. These premises are owned by Mecca Bingo Limited (“Mecca Bingo”) and are known as the Mecca Bingo Club.

2. Mecca Bingo is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 01854120 with its registered office at TOR, Saint-Cloud Way, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8BN.

3. The Company is fully committed to upholding the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005, these being to keep gaming fair and crime free and to protect the young and the vulnerable. The Company is similarly committed to operating its premises within the regulatory framework.

4. Your privacy is very important to us. Mecca Bingo does not sell or rent your personal details. Your personal details will be retained and used in accordance with the terms of our House Privacy Policy.

5. Customers must be over 18 years of age.

6. Mecca Bingo reserves the right to refuse admission at any time without giving reason.

7. On registration, you will be issued with a Mecca Bingo membership card. This cannot be transferred and must be produced upon entering any Mecca Bingo Club.

8. No gaming other than lawful gaming authorised by Mecca Bingo may be carried out at its premises.

9. Where gaming is carried out at Mecca Bingo premises:

9.1. It will be conducted on such days and at such times and in such manner at each Club as Mecca Bingo determines. The days and time and manner of play so determined shall be prominently displayed in the premises.

9.2. Mecca Bingo will determine the admission and such other charges to take part in gaming in accordance with the regulations made under the Gambling Act 2005.

9.3. Customer funds are held in Mecca Bingo’s general account and are not protected in the event of insolvency.

9.4. Where any cash prize on an individual bingo game exceeds £2,000, any remaining amount over £2,000 will only be paid out by either cheque or BACS transfer. Mecca Max players are only permitted to perform cash withdrawals from their funds up to a maximum of £2,000 per day, with any remaining amount over £2,000 being subject to a cheque or BACS payment. In addition, a customer is entitled to receive all or part of their prize or funds as a cheque or BACS transfer.

10. Mecca Bingo, its servants and agents shall not be liable to any Customer for any loss, damage or injury suffered by them or to their property, save where caused by negligence on the part of Mecca Bingo.

11. Customers play on the express understanding that Mecca Bingo, its servants and agents are not to be held responsible if results and/or prizes are affected by the failure of equipment, the misprinting or incorrect provision of books or tickets, the failure of Team Members or other employees to perform duties or the actions whether improper or otherwise of third parties. On any such occurrence, Mecca Bingo’s decision is to be binding upon the Customers, not withstanding any statement(s) made by its servants or agents prior to or subsequent to Mecca Bingo’s decision. In the event of such occurrence happening, all prizes awarded are subject to re-scrutiny and any Customer who received a prize undertakes to refund it if, in Mecca Bingo’s opinion, it has been incorrectly awarded.

12. In the case of any gaming related dispute, the Customer should raise the matter with the Duty Manager. If the Customer is still unhappy with the decision the matter can be raised under the Mecca Bingo escalation process; firstly the General Manager, secondly the Area Manager and then finally the Operations Director. Once all the internal avenues have been exhausted and if the Customer is still not satisfied, they may refer the matter in writing to our Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. Leaflets explaining this process may be obtained from the Reception area of the Club.

13. In the event of any occurrence that significantly impacts upon anticipated Customer attendance, any announcements or advertisements for guaranteed prize money, promotions or special offers may be withdrawn prior to the relevant session commencing.

14. The use of cameras or other devices for taking photographs/videos (such as mobile phones) may not be used by Customers inside a Mecca Bingo Club, without the permission of management.

15. By entering a Mecca Bingo club, you accept that you may be included in photography/filming authorised by Mecca Bingo. Mecca Bingo owns all rights in such images and footage and shall be entitled to use the same for the purpose of (i) promoting Mecca Bingo and its commercial partners and (ii) any other commercial activity. In such circumstances you will not be entitled to any form of compensation, acknowledgement or payment.

16. The information displayed on the following pages is deemed to form part of these Terms and Conditions.


RULES OF PLAYING BINGO

Subject to the Specific Game Rules, the following rules apply to all games of bingo. Customers should ensure that they read them before playing. These rules may be amended by Mecca Bingo from time to time.

1. A participation fee at the rate specified in the Charges to Play Notice will be charged per game. The prize money for each game is calculated by multiplying the number of tickets/playing positions sold by the stake less the participation fee.

2. The normal range of numbers in play is 1 to 90. (Alternative number ranges may be used dependent upon the game design)

3. At the start of each game the Caller/Host will confirm which book and/or ticket is to be played and which combination must be completed to win.

4. Where an “All in” session is played on paper tickets, if you wish to play less than the stated amount of games, you must notify a Team Member who will detach the surplus books. You must not alter or split the books yourself, as they will become void.

5. The Caller/Host will select a number by operating either a random selector or a “blower motor” or other similar apparatus and then announce it. The number is deemed called immediately when the Caller/Host commences speaking.

6. The number will also be shown on an indicator board. In the event of a discrepancy, the number shown on the indicator board shall prevail over that announced by the Caller/Host.

7. If the number called appears on the combination in play, the Customer should mark of that number but leave it sufficiently legible to be easily checked.

8. The first Customer who marks off all the numbers on the combination in play must make an audible intervention to stop the game before the next number is called to claim the prize. The winning card must contain the last number called.

9. It is the Customer’s responsibility to make themselves heard by the Caller/Host. In the event you are in a separate area/room to the Caller/Host, you must establish whether a Team Member is in control of that area/room for bingo purposes. If there is, you must stop the game in sufficient time for the claim to be relayed to the Caller/Host to comply with the requirement of rule 8 above. If there is no Team Member in control of that area/room, you are personally responsible for making yourself heard by the Caller/Host.

10. A Team Member will check the winning book/ticket and the Caller/Host will confirm whether the claim is valid. The Customer must produce their membership card to claim the prize. If the winning ticket is on an Electronic Bingo Terminal the claim may be validated directly by the Host/Caller without the need for a Team Member to attend to such a claim. This does not negate the responsibility of the claimant to stop the game as detailed in rule 9 above.

11. If more than one Customer claims the prize, the prize will be divided equally between all players or, if applicable, each winner will receive the advertised minimum win value. In the event of the prize consisting in whole or part of a non-monetary prize this shall be carried forward to another separate game or be the subject of a play-off or be substituted by a cash or a non-monetary alternative at Mecca Bingo’s discretion.

12. In the event of a mechanical malfunction, however caused, or of duplication or incorrect game tickets being issued, either paper or electronic, resulting in multiple or duplicate claims, all claimants will equally share the declared prize.

13. Once the Caller/Host has declared the game closed and/or the indicator board has been cleared, no further claims will be accepted.

14. Where more than 1 game is played on the same ticket, the 2nd game cannot be won until the 1st game has ended and at least 1 further number has been called.

15. Customers entering into any ticket sharing and/or prize money sharing arrangements of any nature, and whether formal or informal, do so entirely at their own risk. Mecca Bingo does not accept any liability in the event of disputes arising from such arrangements or any sharing function offered on its products. Mecca Bingo’s only obligation is to pay the stated prize money to the player holding the winning bingo ticket.

16. In the event of an equipment breakdown, which prohibits the continuation of a game in progress, all numbers called will stand while the game is continued on some other form of equipment.


SPECIFIC GAME RULES

The Rules of Playing Bingo shall apply save where expressly altered by the following Specific Game Rules. These Specific Game Rules may be amended by Mecca Bingo from time to time

AMERICAN BINGO

1. The range of numbers in play is 1 to 75 only.

2. The Caller/Host in addition to selecting each number may also announce its reference letter as well as the actual number i.e. “under the letter B, number 4”. Each number in the 1 to 75 sequence is designated a letter from one of B.I.N.G.O.

JACKPOTS

1. Jackpot prize(s) will be available within existing games designated by the Club prior to the commencement of the session. Only the Jackpot numbers called within the designated game(s) will apply. Once a number has been called for the Jackpot prize, any repetition of it is invalid.

2. Prizes are won dependent upon the number of calls generated for a Customer to make a valid winning claim, as designated by the Club prior to the commencement of the game.

3. Where the Jackpot prize(s) is offered during linked games across Mecca Bingo Clubs, the opportunity to win the Jackpot prize(s) at any of the participating Clubs ceases when the full house prize has been won. When the Jackpot is in play, the winner of the house prize will also be entitled to the Jackpot prize(s) available in the Club at which they are playing, subject to meeting the qualifying criteria to win the Jackpot prize(s).

4. In the event of the Jackpot not being won, the prize(s) will be carried forward to the next designated session.

5. In the event that the Jackpot must be won on a specific session or game, then at the completion of the session or game the caller/host will continue to call further numbers until a winning claim is made by a customer(s).

CASHLINE

1. The appropriate stake money must be inserted in the slot provided or, where a Mecca Max electronic bingo unit is used, the cards to be played must be highlighted and the appropriate stake money will be deducted from the credit meter. This will activate the playing position’s indicator light or the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit cashline game, which will be accepted as proof of payment. This is a prerequisite of a winning claim.

2. The Caller/Host selects a number from 1 to 80 and in turn announces its colour and number until such time a claim(s) is made.

3. If the number called is shown on the board, you should close the shutter or cover that number with a counter or electronically mark the number on the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit.

4. If a Customer(s) completes the combination in play, they must either call promptly or stop the game by means of an electronic claim button.

CASHLINE LINK GAME

The Rules for playing bingo and the specific cashline amendments also apply.

1. The game will be called from a Control Club that will be designated before the game commences.

2. The stake money is allocated by the Control Club to the cashline link game in proportion to the number of cashline machines operated in each Club taking part.

3. In the event of technical faults:

3.1. If a technical fault occurs after the game has been halted to check a claim and prior to the claim being checked, the actual checking of the claim may be validated via the telephone.

3.2. Those Clubs which are able to continue the cashline link game will do so (and the stake money will be adjusted accordingly) and the Club(s) unable to continue will play a local game; or

3.3. The cashline link game will be closed down and each Club will play a local game for the money staked in that particular Club.

4. In all situations cashline link game prizes awarded prior to the breakdown will stand.


LUCKY NUMBERS

1. The prize(s) on offer will be announced and/or displayed prior to sale of Lucky Numbers tickets. The allocated number of tickets must be sold before the game(s) can be played.

2. Numbers will be selected by the Caller/Host using balls in a bag or a random selector. A Customer will be invited to verify that the correct number of balls is in use before the game begins.


THE LINK GAME

1. The game will be called from a Control Club, which will be designated before the game commences.

2. As well as the link game, a separate local game of bingo may be played in each participating club for a portion of the monies staked by the Customer and which may be played on separate books/tickets or on the reverse side of a link game ticket.

3. The stake money is allocated by the Control Club to the link game and local games in proportion to the number of books/tickets sold in each Club taking part.

4. In the event of technical faults:

4.1. If a technical fault occurs after the game has been halted to check a claim and prior to the claim being checked the actual checking of the claim may be validated via telephone.

4.2. Those Clubs which are able to continue the link game will do so, and the stake money will be adjusted accordingly, and the Club(s) unable to continue will play a local game; or

4.3. The link game will be closed down and each Club will play its local game(s) on the relevant books or tickets for the money staked in that particular Club.

In all situations link game prizes awarded prior to the breakdown will stand.

5. It is the Customer’s responsibility to make themselves heard:

5.1. In the case of Customers in the Control Club, by the Caller/Host;

5.2. In the case of Customers in the receiving Clubs, by the Caller/Host or Duty Manager at the microphone; and

5.3. In the case of Customers in a separate area/room controlled by a Team Member, by the Team Member in control of that room.

Note: In regard to 5.2 and 5.3 above, the claim must be made in sufficient time to be relayed to the Control Club Caller/Host by the respective Duty Manager or Team Member.

PRIZELINE

The Rules for playing bingo and the specific cashline game amendments also apply.

1. The appropriate stake money must be inserted in the slot provided.

2. The Caller/Host selects a number from the 1 to 80 range announcing in turn its colour and number until such time a claim(s) is made.

3. If the number called is shown on the board, you should close the shutter or cover that number with a counter or electronically mark the number on the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit.

4. If a Customer(s) completes the combination in play, they must either call promptly or stop the game by means of an electronic claim button.

SUPERBOOK OR VARIANT GAMES OF BINGO

Prize money for a specific stake level will be displayed on the indicator board. Prize money for other stake levels will be announced at the start of the game.

Should a Club play a superbook or a variant of a superbook game or book where there are two or more stake charges for simultaneous games, including a free charge, the following procedure will be followed when there are multiple game claims and winners.

Example

1. Two stake charges for game played which are ‘free’ and a £10 superbook cost.

2. Announced game prize for full house of £40 for ‘free’ game and £100 for ‘superbook’ game.

3. Three claims made and verified – one ‘free’ game and two on superbook prize allocation would be:

‘FREE’
prize (£40) divided by 3 with £13.34 paid.

‘SUPERBOOK’
prize (£100) divided by 3 with £33.34 paid to each of two winners.


MECCA MAX ELECTRONIC BINGO UNITS

1. Mecca Max electronic bingo units are not guaranteed to have all 1 to 90 numbers on each strip of six tickets sold.

2. It is the responsibility of the Customer, either by review of the receipt issued at time of purchase or if self-service has been used by a physical check of tickets showing on the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit, to ensure that the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit contains all the tickets requested at time of purchase. Mecca Bingo accepts no liability whatsoever should the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit not contain tickets which the Customer may have requested but was not charged for. Tickets charged for but not obtained will be refunded and will be deemed void for claim purposes.

3. In the event of failure of a Mecca Max electronic bingo unit, Mecca Bingo will continue with the game in play and any further game(s) scheduled to be played whilst the faulty Mecca Max electronic bingo unit is swapped for an alternative (if available). Customers who are unable to participate in a game or games from beginning to end due to a technical failure of the system will be entitled to a refund of the ticket(s) that they were not able to play and the refunded ticket(s) will be deemed void for claim purposes.

4. If more Mecca Max electronic bingo units fail than there are spare units available, the electronic bingo game may be aborted, but the playing of bingo will continue with prize money being recalculated.

5. When marking off numbers, the Customer should either touch anywhere on the tickets displayed area on the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit or opt in to the auto dab option on screen which will mark off numbers as they are generated.

6. When using the auto dab option on Mecca Max the responsibility for stopping the game remains with the Customer as detailed above.

7. If any Customer completes the combination in play (including use of any automatic marking function on Mecca Max or any other device), they must call out promptly to stop the game and, if required, press the electronic claim button on the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit. The claim must be registered before the next number is called. The winning bingo ticket must contain the last number called.

8. In the event of failure of a slot machine game, automated bingo game or any other game provided on a Mecca Max unit, the customer will be entitled to a refund of the stake on the affected game(s) and the incomplete game(s) will be deemed void for claim purposes.

9. Malicious damage to, loss of or non return of a Mecca Max electronic bingo unit by a Customer may result in Mecca Bingo seeking reimbursement of the replacement cost of the Mecca Max electronic bingo unit from that Customer and/or a restriction to future play.

LUCKY LINES GAMES

The following rules relate to the Lucky Lines game on Mecca Max Electronic Bingo Terminals.

1. The Lucky Line game is an optional side game played at an additional cost alongside Main Games of 90 number bingo with prize pools and pay tables determined by the stake level at which the Customer opts to play.

2. The actual prize money won is determined by the number of calls required to mark off all 5 of the allocated Lucky Line numbers. The prize money will be displayed in the Lucky Lines game panel as each call number is issued.

3. To win on this game a Customer must mark off all 5 numbers from their Lucky Line prior to the prize fund displayed reaching £0 or prior to the Main Game completing – whichever comes first.

4. This game is self-validating meaning that the customer is not required to stop the Caller/Host for claims on the Lucky Lines game. Valid wins will be displayed in the Lucky Lines game panel and the amount won paid to the customers electronic bingo account once the main game in play completes.

5. Customers wishing to participate in the game must select the stake at which they wish to play prior to release of the second call number for the main game. The Customer is required to opt in to any game in which they wish to participate with no pre-purchase option available.

6. Neither participation or non-participation in the Lucky Lines game will influence the outcome of the Main Game in progress. Customer can win on both the Lucky Line Game and the Main Game during the same gaming event.

7. Customers winning on the Main Game are still required to stop the Caller/Host as detailed in point 9 of the Rules of Playing Bingo.

DORMANT ACCOUNTS

A “Dormant Account” shall mean any Mecca Max Customer account, which for a period of 12 months or more has not either:

a) had funds deposited in it; or

b) had funds withdrawn from it; or

c) been used to purchase bingo books or other available content.

In respect of such Dormant Accounts, Mecca Bingo reserves the right to charge on the last day of each month a processing handling fee of £2.50 per month, (or the remaining balance, should the account balance be under £2.50). This will be deducted in arrears at any time within 10 working days of the subsequent month, together with an annual handling fee of £10 per annum. This handling fee will be due on the 31st December of each calendar year. These charges shall be payable in respect of any Dormant Account, until such time as the account becomes active again or has a nil balance.