Riva Electronic Bingo

The first fully electronic bingo club in the United Kingdom has opened in Sutton in South West London. The Riva Club, which is operated by the Riva Gaming Group, gives players handheld terminals instead of paper bingo tickets. There are 582 regular terminals and another 20 portable versions which players can use in the club’s outside smoking area.

Riva was formed in 2006, and is the fourth biggest operator of bingo clubs in the country, with thirteen clubs including the UK’s largest in Cricklewood, North West London. The group has around a quarter of a million members and 700 staff, and also operates 25 Showboat Adult Gaming Centres. Although electronic terminals are used by some other clubs in limited numbers, the Riva bingo club in Sutton is the first to be totally electronic.

Riva says that the electronic version of bingo will achieve several things, including helping to present a more contemporary product to players, encouraging a more sociable environment and appealing to a wider range of players, particularly in the context of bingo clubs becoming “smoke free” environments.

“Riva is at the forefront of bingo technology and product development,” said Simon Hannah, Chief Executive Officer of Riva. “We are operating in a challenging environment but we believe there is still plenty of room for growth for operators who provide unique and exciting facilities. The Riva club in Sutton is amongst the most leading edge in the UK and in its opening week has traded beyond our expectations. Sutton provides our players with an exciting new bingo challenge and we are delighted with the number of players, both new and traditional, who are enjoying playing a part in the evolution of bingo.”

Riva will be monitoring the reception that the electronic club in Sutton gets in order to decide how quickly the electronic bingo concept will be rolled out to other clubs. In the meantime, the expansion of the Riva brand continues, with the group having recently purchased the Hippodrome Bingo Club in Lowestoft for an undisclosed amount.

30th January 2008