Gala Bingo has launched its first live interactive bingo channel called Gala TV in association with entertainment producer Endemol UK.

The channel will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on Sky channel 841 and will include eight hours of live, presenter-led bingo between 5pm and 1am daily.

Existing Galabingo.co.uk players will not have to re-register to play on Gala TV while new members can register via their remote control.

The move has been seen by some in the industry as a pre-emptive strike to boost player numbers before the British smoking ban comes into full effect next year, which could have a detrimental effect on revenue.

The Bingo Association announced in June this year that the smoking ban in Scotland – which was introduced in April 2006 – was having a significant impact on the country’s bingo industry, with operators reporting a 17-26 per cent decline in revenues and players arriving later and leaving earlier.

However, Chris Drake, the e-commerce development manager for Gala TV, said; “Gala Coral decided to put live bingo on television to give players another option for enjoying the game. They can go to bingo clubs, play online and now play on TV. It is all about giving people another option.”

The Gala Coral Group Britain’s largest private gaming company, with more than 1,500 retail trading outlets in the UK and e-commerce division. The group employs more than 17,000 people in the UK.