We know by now that Gordon Brown is remaining true to his Puritan instincts and displaying a deep aversion to gambling of any variety. Supercasinos were rapidly dumped – with a theatrical flourish at PMQs to underline his pleasure. The new Culture Secretary James Purnell is dropping hints that councils who choose not to build the smaller regional casinos will also be looked on favourably. Gordon Brown also took an opportunity in his Budget to put smaller amusement arcades (another employer in Blackpol) into a higher taxation bracket to squeeze them. And now our bingo halls are coming under pressure. The ‘Desert Strip’ will soon become synonymous not with Las Vegas but with Blackpool’s tourist-less Promenade.

Unlike casinos and other mainstream gambling, bingo is taxed on both gross profits and for VAT purposes. This puts it at a great disadvantage financially. On top of that, the smoking ban is going to put bingo halls under even more pressure. The ban in Scotland saw 12 bingo halls shut down because of the decline in business. You can find out more at http://www.backbingo.co.uk/.

Attitutdes to bingo are in part coloured by wider social attitudes to gambling. To some, participation in gambling is seen as a sign of moral weakness and turpitude. I have never understood this. I recognise that gambling can be a very addictive pastime, and that the financial consequences can destroy lives and families, and that help should be provided – but that is no different from any other form of addiction. In any case, bingo is by far the mildest form of gambling. Reduced access to bingo may see more take-up online gambling, which is both unregulated and far more addictive.

Addiction to anything is a type of compulsive behaviour which is a mental illness. It is but a short step from taking a moralistic view of gambling addicts to suggesting that other forms of mental ill-health are a symptom of moral weakness too. I had hoped that that was an attitude we had eradicated, but the stigma that attaches itself to any form of mental illness still lurks beneath the surface, despite the fact one in five of us will experience some form of it at some point in our lives.

Whilst I have never laid a bet, played a game of bingo or even been inside a casino in my life (nor do I particularly feel the urge to) I respect people’s right to choose how to spend their own money. If Gordon Brown wants to try to protect people from themselves by restricting the ability to gamble, then why isn’t he standing at the doors to Primark confiscating people’s credit cards? As we all know, Primark is just an entry-level shop, and that you start off there but it ends up in Harvey Nicks …

Shopping can be just as addictive, and the over-use of credit cards and the piling up of debt can destroy lives and families as much as the consequences of gambling debts. Of course, one reason Gordon looks more fondly on credit cards is that it is our consumer spending and the mountain of debt we all now sit on that has perpetuated economic growth whilst he was Chancellor, allowing him to increase public spending. When the economy slows down, as it one day inevitably will, it is those of us with credit card bills, mortgages and other forms of debt who will pay the price.

The sub-text that gambling is a sign of moral weakness lies behind the provisions of the 2005 Gambling Act, which come into force in the autumn, which place a duty on bingo halls to promote social responsibility – another burden, even if the outcome is beneficial. Yet many bingo halls have done this for some time. Seventy per cent of gamblers are women, mostly over 40. They are an ideal ‘captive audience’ for campaigns to encourage uptake of breast cancer and cervical screening, and the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity has done a great deal in this context.

In many parts of the country, bingo halls are an important part of the community, and offer a place where people can get together, and the elderly can get out and about in relative safety. It may not be everybody’s idea of a fun night out, but that’s no reason for supercilious sneers.

In Blackpool, the bingo halls are a key part of the tourist offering. They are a classic example of a ‘rainy day’ attraction, which given the summer we’ve had are doubly important. The cumulative consequences of government policy in all the areas listed above mean that bingo halls will find it ever harder to survive – and that would mean local job losses and yet another small nail in the coffin of Blackpool’s tourist industry.