Bacta elects Joseph Cullis as president to represent British gaming halls
Joseph Cullis replaces John Bollom while Jeremy Godden has been named vice president of the gaming and amusement arcade trade association.
UK.- The gaming hall and amusement arcade trade body Bacta has announced the appointment of a new leadership team following its nomination process. Joseph Cullis, the owner of Scotland-based Windmill Leisure, has been elected as president, while Jeremy Godden, the managing director of Godden Gaming, has been named as vice president. Their appointments were uncontested after the nominations period closed on May 20.
Cullis, previously vice president, takes over from John Bollom, who took up the Bacta presidency in July 2023. The body described the new appointments as generational shift in representation for sector at a critical moment as the government presses ahead with land-based gambling reforms.
Bacta has been encouraging its members to back the organisation’s opposition to the Gambling Commission’s proposed new technical standards for land-based gambling. The British regulator has extended its consultation of the proposals from May 20 until June 3 to allow more responses.
The UK government also plans to introduce cashless payments at land-based gaming venues and to increase gaming machine entitlements, remove the current table-to-machine ratios and to allow sports betting at casinos while also removing the membership requirement.
Cullis noted the scale of the challenges and praised Bollom for his leadership during Bacta’s internal restructuring.
He said: “There’s no doubt that Bacta is facing some of the biggest challenges in its 50-year history. The frustration at the delays in modernising gambling regulations, the proposed changes to Technical Standards and the media campaign targeting AGCs are all examples of what your trade association is dealing with.
He added: “Working alongside John Bollom has been the perfect preparation for the main job. John has contributed so much to Bacta in so many different capacities. He’s the first person to be President on two occasions and his vision has resulted in the modernisation and streamlining of Bacta. He is an extremely hard act to follow and I know that I will be able to draw on his experience and insight.
“Jeremy and myself have no illusions about the size of the challenge but I can assure members that we will be giving our utmost to promote and protect their businesses on every front.”
Bacta will now hold elections for its Amusement Council. Voting papers will be issued on Thursday (May 29), and the balloting period will close on June 12, with election results to be declared a week later at the June 19 AGM. It will also elect three past president roles on the National Council. Elections for the Gaming Council will take place in 2026.
