An Irish company operating a bingo club in Cork has won a temporary High Court order restraining Gardai (Police) after they seized the bingo books to stop a bingo session from being held.

Omega Leisure Ltd, trading as Rock Bingo Club, claims it is operating as an agent for a hospital charity with a valid lottery licence. They claim that Garda Supt Charles Barry is operating a “systematic policy” of ensuring gambling does not take place in his area.

Supt Barry had inspected the bingo hall on Monday and the following day applied for a District Court warrant to remove the bingo books from the premises half an hour before the bingo was due to start.

Claiming it was an unlawful lottery, bingo books and other materials were confiscated so that the premises could not operate. Omega Leisure had reportedly spent €750,000 developing the 1,000-seat club and plans to run bingo sessions five nights a week, with the first session due to open last Tuesday.

Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill heard the application against Supt Barry, the Garda Commissioner and the State, and granted an interim order until next Friday.

The company claims it is entitled to operate bingo games for charities which have been issued a lottery licence for the relevant district. It entered an agency agreement on October 12th last with the Mercy Hospital Foundation, a charity which raises money for the Mercy University Hospital, Cork. Under the agreement the company is entitled to a maximum of 40 percent of the proceeds.

James Barber, a director of the company, claims that during an appeal of a gaming licence application before Cork Circuit Court on October 17th last, Supt Barry said gambling led to an increase in crime, family breakdown and suicide and he intended to oppose all new gaming establishments in his area.

Supt Barry had objected to lottery licence applications for charities that were in negotiations with Omega to enter into agency agreements, Mr Barber said. Those charities were Cork Penny Dinners, Harlequins Hockey Club and St Augustine Global Foundation. Other charities – St Luke’s Home, the Church of Ireland Hockey Club and Marymount Hospice – all withdrew from negotiations with Omega after being contacted by Supt Barry, he added.