Hot on the heels of confirmation that the Rank Group have begun take-over talks to acquire the Gala Coral casino business, Ian Burke the Rank Chairman and Chief Executive has reported a significant improvement in the results of its Mecca chain of bingo clubs. Apparently the introduction of online bingo amongst the casino games available at online casinos, plus bingo games which can be played on tablets has resulted in a surge in interest among the under 35’s. Mr Burke reported that this age group now account for a third of their bingo club customers, and this has resulted in an increase in the number of customers and their spend per visit. Returns are still considerably less than they get from their Grosvenor casinos, but when taken in the context of a huge closure rate for bingo clubs over recent years, this renewed interest in bingo may lead to the opening of new bingo clubs in the Mecca estate. At onlinecasino.ie we have commented many times on the increasing popularity of online bingo at our online casinos, but this is the first time we have come across reports that this popularity has led to an increase in the number of people actually visiting bingo clubs. Clearly Mecca have responded to the disastrous effect that the smoking ban had on their bingo clubs, and are now able to attract a new generation of customers by improving the food and drink, and offering entertainment aimed at a younger clientele. Whilst we are of course primarily a site set up to monitor and report on the online casino business, we are happy to congratulate any company involved in the gaming industry when they improve the service they offer to their customers, and it is clear that such improvements will always be rewarded.