The electron multiplication and its statistics in the Penning mixtures in the uniform electric field is studied. The variance of the gas amplification is calculated for the Ne-Ar mixtures (0.1 % and 1 % Ar) as a function of the electric field strength. The effect of the diffusion of the metastable atoms on the statistics of the multiplication is shown to be small in weak electric fields. Copyright © 1978 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.