In an attempt to integrate their online and land based marketing divisions, the Gala Coral Group is contemplating cutting 45 jobs from its headquarters.
The online division operates the running and marketing of Galbingo.com which is presently the leading UK online bingo provider.
These job cuts follow a recent announcement that 300 jobs are to be cut from the Gala Bingo Halls as well as the closure of further bingo halls. Despite these cuts, Galabingo.com. which is the online bingo side of the business will run as normal.
The Gala Group currently operate 4 brands in Europe, namely Gala Casino, Eurobet, Coral and Gala Bingo. It has been reported that they have been pressurized to pay off a GBP2.5 billion debt.
The 2007 UK smoking ban hit the Gala Coral Group very hard financially when players were put off from visiting the bingo halls and many players who did visit the halls spent lots of time smoking outside instead of playing. The laws on limited number of fixed odds gambling machines in bingo halls also contributed to a drop in revenue.
The online bingo website, Galabingo.com is, however, growing in popularity and is bringing growth to the group.