Bacta announces new location for National Council meeting

The UK gaming machine and amusement arcade association will move from its usual London location.

UK.- The UK gaming machine and amusement arcade association Bacta has announced that its National Council meeting on April 21 will be held outside of London as it aims to encourage more member participation. It will hold the event in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and members will be invited to meet over lunch and to take part in an informal Open Forum.

The Open Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss key issues and to provide insight into the National Council’s operations and developments following the publication of the UK government’s gambling white paper a year ago. Registration of the event is open now.

John Bollom, National President of Bacta, said the move is part of Bacta’s aim to be a “listening organisation”. He said: “Historically I think there was probably a degree of mystery surrounding the work of the National Council and how it operated. The new National Council is very much a working board with individual members using their specialisms and skill-sets to deliver on behalf of Bacta and its members.

“This streamlined structure means that we are much more agile as an organisation with the capacity to respond quickly to the issues of the day, something which has been particularly important in relation to the White Paper. The new Bacta is very much a listening organisation and the Open Forum will provide an opportunity to not only update on developments impacted by the White Paper but also to identify the issues which are important to members and which will help us to define the priorities moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Bacta has launched a census of its members. The survey aims to help it gain more weight in industry decision-making, with responses to inform its lobbying. Issues of particular interest include stake and prize limits, gaming duty and changes to machine numbers. Bollom said the information will help to produce a “Bacta Fact File”, a databank of industry information, which will be maintained and updated.