By Simon Jones on Friday, 2 Nov 2007 The smoking ban has had various unexpected side-effects, but its effect on bingo clubs has been extensive.
While effects of the smoking ban on pubs has been at the centre of much debate over the past few months, the plight of bingo halls has remained comparatively unmentioned.
Managing director Peter Hargreaves, of the recently-closed Bingorama club in Derbyshire, told the Evening Telegraph newspaper: "I have worked in the bingo industry for nearly 30 years and the current climate is the most difficult I can recall."
Nevertheless, online bingo is thriving – proving that the appetite for the game is as strong as ever. Playing at home means smokers can do as they please, while the social aspect of a visit to the club need not be sacrificed, with chat rooms and forums playing an ever-growing part of the online bingo experience.
60-year-old Lesley Stockdale told the Newcastle Journal: “I would say the ban has affected a lot of people. They go outside during the breaks whereas before we could walk around the place and smoke and play the games inside.”
However, a Treasury spokesperson told the newspaper that the government did not think that the tax system has caused problems in the bingo industry.
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