ABSTRACT
The 1960 Betting and Gaming Act can be claimed as the most significant landmark in the history of commercial bingo in Great Britain. The Act was designed to clear up the confusion and anomalies which existed in Britain’s gaming laws. It was warmly received by both public and media as bringing legislation into line with the times. ‘Sense at last’, wrote the News Chronicle, whilst the Daily Telegraph exclaimed, ‘Betting and Gaming laws are a nettle which at last the Government-to its credit-has grasped’ (Newman 1972:4). The Act may have been successful in its primary objective, that of legalising and controlling ‘off-course’ cash betting, but it created a number of loopholes and opportunities such that the initial optimism surrounding its introduction quickly faded. The Act, it was felt, had two undesirable consequences.
