Smokers are staying away from bingo halls in their droves. Gavin O’Connor investigates how the smoking ban is hitting the bingo hall tills

BINGO halls across South Wales are feeling the drag of a major profit slump six months into the smoking ban.

And managers are bracing themselves for more dwindling revenue when the colder weather soon kicks in.

The serious profit slide has been caused by smokers avoiding the big cash-generating games to catch up on a quick puff outside the buildings.

The numerous bingo halls the Echo contacted all reported a drop of between 15 to 20 per cent in revenue and workingmen’s clubs and associations where a pint and a fag go hand in hand have also said the same.

The company set up in the town exactly 11 years ago this month.

Kelly said when interval of the paper games takes place at 8pm, there’s a mass exodus of smokers through the door before an 8.15pm resumption.

Kelly’s friend, Alison Griffiths, 31, of Cherry Grove, Gurnos, is one of the smoking-ban casualties.

She stopped playing three months ago because of the new law.

She said: “Everything is interrupted now and you can’t enjoy it the same because it’s a different experience.

“I think a lot of people feel the same.”

South Wales’ biggest bingo operator Castle Bingo refused to comment in any way on the smoking ban but managers at competing clubs say the issue is very real and worsening.
St Minver, which operates the world’s largest bingo network, carried out a survey of 3,000 UK bingo players to find out their attitudes towards the ban.

The survey found internet gaming services would experience a boom with more and more smokers putting their feet up at home, lighting up and clicking online.

The study revealed 62 per cent of bingo players are smokers and that 33 per cent of them will play less often while 21 per cent will stop playing in clubs altogether.

Just 14 per cent of smokers said they will kick the habit so they can continue playing with 63 per cent of smokers saying they will increase the amount they spend playing online as a result of the ban.

Mambha Param, who has been manager at Riva Bingo in Splott for more than a year but involved with the industry for nearly two decades, said it was a depressing time for the bingo industry and takings at his hall were down about a fifth.

“We’ve been struggling really badly.

Workingmen’s clubs are trying different methods to combat the revenue slide.
John Gould, steward at Cilfynydd Constitutional Club, said: “The smoking ban has certainly had an effect.

“In the last couple of weeks, we have put an outside smoking area in and that’s helped.

“We had a few in for the rugby games recently but after an hour, they bought some cans and went home to watch so they could smoke as well.

Pat Grabham, stewardess at the Royal British Legion in Bridgend for 25 years, said the end of the summer season spelled frostier times at the till.

“So far we’ve been lucky because the Crown (adjacent pub) has closed – the tenants were smokers and they decided to finish. We’ve picked up some of their custom and we’re putting some money away to cope with what’s going to happen in the winter. It’s not something we’re looking forward to.”

Source: icWales.co.uk. Link

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