It’s game over as smoking ban kills off city bingo hall
THE number’s up for an Edinburgh bingo hall that has been forced to close after an 80 per cent drop in players since the smoking ban.
Gala Bingo, in West Granton, once boasted around 8000 customers a week – but numbers have slumped to as low as 1500 since the ban came into force.
On Saturday night, the decision was finally taken to close the club, which opened 12 and a half years ago.
The Bingo Association, the body representing the game, said around 40 clubs across the UK had closed in the past year.
Paul Talboys, the association’s chief executive, said 189 clubs across the UK are currently under the threat of closure.
