Smoking Ban Links
Nicotine Nannies claim smoking bans are good for business. But if that were
the case, could this list exist, and could it be so huge? (Please note, because
of time constraints, this site contains only about a quarter of the articles
we find on the subject.)
These stories come from hundreds of independent sources. The quotes, in italics,
are a portion of the article.
Links to some news sites expire fairly quickly,
so we recommend you print out anything you'd like to save for future reference.
Some links require free registration to read the article.
This list became so long we had to break it up into several pages. The oldest
links are in Archive One, Archive
Two, Archive Three and Archive
Four.
Archive One is the oldest collection of links. Most of these stories are on
news web sites, so the older pages are likely to contain a fair amount of broken
links.
This page contains the most up to date stories.
A list of places hurt by bans is also available in a handy chart form. Check out the Ban
Loss page at The Smokers Club.
Smoking ban hurting those who comply
Journel News, Hamilton OH
But business in May was down $32,000 from the year before, he said.
"People that I'm competing with are continuing to (allow smoking) on
a daily basis," he said, refusing to name names. "There's no other
factor involved in this."
Comment: But how can that be, since the experts claim that bans are good for business?
How the smoking ban has affected bingo halls
Wave, Louisville KY
James Doolin says he's abiding by the smoking ban and he's lost 30% of his
bingo customers as a result.
Smoking ban hits Bingo night tills
South Wales Echo, UK
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.
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.
“So many of our customers are old people" [Says Pat Grabham, stewardess
at the Royal British Legion] . "We hold three bingo nights here and we’ve
already found the weather has a big say in the turnout. Elderly people are
not going to go out in the cold for a fag."
Face the hard truth about smoking ban
Letter to the Editor, The Examiner, MO,
USA
I for one am glad Independence passed a no-smoking ordinance. Now I don't have to wait for a seat at my favorite eating place. I do miss my favorite waitress, who got laid off because of slow business, but what the heck, she probably didn't need the extra money to feed her kids or help with the rent. It also saves the city time by not counting so much sales tax money.
Bonanza for nicotine gum and patches as millions try to quit
The Independent
Asda has reported a 415 per cent rise in purchases of nicotine patches compared
with July last year, and made five weeks' worth of sales in 24 hours last Sunday
when the ban came in. Also compared against sales figures for July last year,
Sainsbury's reported a 234 per cent increase and Tesco said sales had trebled.
Note: Most campaigns for smoking bans are financed quietly, behind the seines,
by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Their motives are explained here.
Smoking
ban has ‘killed business’
News Shopper - UK
Mustie Hassan, 32, the owner of R Bar, Windmill Street, Gravesend, said: "It
has completely killed business."
Owners:
Smoking Ban Bad For Business
NBC5i.com - Ft. Worth,TX,USA
Brett Russell owns Saltimbocca’s restaurant and said the smoking ban
was a major factor in his decision to close the establishment. Pete Moore co-owns
Bobby V’s in Arlington and said he’s not certain if his business
will survive either.
“The majority of that is in the bar and we saw that business tail off
by about 40 percent,” Russell said.
Smoking
ban forces pub out of business
Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK
Takings at the community-based pub have fallen by around £1000 a
week, or about 20 per cent, since the ban came into force a year ago.
Local
Bars Openly Defy Smoking Ban
Fox 21 - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
Many of the bars participating have experienced large revenue drops since
the ban was enacted, and now they say it is worth the fines to bring their
customers back.
Hawaii
Tourism Slumps on Heels of Smoking Ban
eNewsChannels - Torrance,CA,USA
According to Travel Hawaii LLC, Hawaii’s tourism industry is in a slump,
with overall January arrivals down nearly 6 percent from January 2006 and the
lucrative Japanese market down over 12 percent. The decline comes on the heels
of Hawaii’s strict new smoking ban, which went into effect in November,
and some in the tourism industry wonder whether the smoking ban is chasing
away a good portion of Hawaii’s traditional clientele.
Japan is considered a “smoker’s paradise” relative to the
U.S., and some observers feel that the cigarette-puffing Japanese tourists
are being deterred from visiting Hawaii, in favor of more smoker-friendly destinations. “We’ve
had several Japanese clients with pre-paid bookings cancel their reservations
because they couldn’t get a smoking room,” said Chris Freas,
Sales Manager at Travel Hawaii, a Hawaii-based Internet retailer
Smoking
ban fallout
South Bend Tribune - South Bend,IN,USA
When countywide bans enacted two to three years before the study allowed smoking
only in the bar area of restaurants, annual sales declined by 49 percent to
55 percent, the study found.
But when local ordinances enacted two to three years before the study reserved
most seating for nonsmokers while allowing some smoking, annual sales increased
by 36 percent and gross profit increased by 37 percent, the study found.
Scottish
smoking ban hits pubs as winter looms
Reuters - USA LONDON,
Sept 1
Rank is cutting 240 jobs, most of them in its Mecca Bingo division, as it
seeks to refocus on its core gaming businesses.
The smoking ban in Scotland has caused a 14 percent decline in sales
in Rank's 14 Scottish bingo halls. . .
Bingo
and pub firms hit by Scots ban on smoking
Scotsman - United Kingdom
TWO leisure groups revealed yesterday that trading had been
hit in Scotland since the implementation of the smoking ban last spring -
with one confirming resulting job cuts.
Rank said it was cutting 200 jobs at its Mecca Bingo clubs across the UK
and closing its London head office with the loss of 40 jobs as it reported
a 3 per cent fall in underlying first-half profit.
Smoking
Ban Hurting Small Taverns?
KKTV 11 News - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
Lawyers for Colorado bar owners say the eight-week-old statewide smoking ban has
devastated some smaller taverns, slashing their incomes by up to 80 percent.
Williston Bingo parlor closing
Bismark Tribune
The Bingo Barn is closing after 20 years, and officials
say the state's law that bans most indoor smoking is the reason.
The bingo parlor, which will shut down after its final session on Saturday, supported
three charities: the Williston State College Foundation, Williston Basin Skating
Club and North Dakota Association for the Disabled.
Legislature
approves tax cut for bingo halls {to help make up for devisting losses
due to the smoking ban}
Bismark Tribune
When the Legislature banned smoking in most public buildings two years
ago, bingo operators saw their customer numbers plummet. A Williston bingo
hall closed, and players in the Red River Valley fled to Minnesota, where
bingo establishments allow smoking.
Smoking ban is killing our trade
Fife Today (Scotland)
LICENSEES in Fife are urging the Scottish Executive to scrap the smoking ban
amid claims some premises are heading for financial ruin.
Jim Paul, President of the Fife United Clubs' Association, reacted angrily
to an NHS Fife spokesman's comments that the clubs' concerns were "silly."
He said: "The health board are talking verbal diarrhoea.
"Obviously they have never been in a club to see what life is like as we are
feeling the bite and losing up to £2000 a month."
"It is not just pubs and clubs that are struggling either, as the Fraser Bowl
in Glenrothes has also seen a massive downturn in revenue as a direct result
of the ban."
Bingo profits plummet following city smoking ban
Edmodnton News
Edmonton-area charities are feeling the squeeze after their bingo profits
plummet by $6.8 million in the year following the city smoking ban.
“To have the bingos kind of crash and burn has been a real deterrent
to our programs because it’s pretty hard to replace that funding,” said
Lorraine Jex, president of the city’s northeast zone sports council.
During the first full year of the puffing ban – which kicked in July
1, 2005 – the nearly 600 charities that run bingos in the Edmonton area
made $6.1 million, down from $12.9 million a year earlier, according to provincial
figures obtained by the Sun. That represents a whopping 53% drop.
During the past year, bingo profits in the rest of Alberta – where smoking
is generally still permitted – dropped only 1%.
Bid could be launched to overturn smoke ban
Some licensees say fears about the smoking ban have materialised.
Guernsey Weekly Press - Vale,Guernsey,UK
They say that trade has been decimated during its first month.
Many smokers furious at the ban have already boycotted pubs and vowed not to
return.
Mariners’ Inn licensee Tina Power said that, contrary to what Health
minister Peter Roffey and other deputies predicted, non-smokers have not frequented
more.
‘Our July takings are the equivalent of a wet, cold and miserable January
month. Is this what we should be experiencing in July?’ she said.
I think perhaps a review of this should be taken into account because is that
not why 200 pubs have closed down in Ireland?
I think it has affected everybody and I have seen less people since the
smoking ban came in. The pubs are empty and, when the bad weather comes,
you won’t
see them either because they will sit at home and smoke.’
One doorman said he had been working the pubs for 28 years and he had never
seen trade so bad.
Smoking Ban Reduces Gamblers In New Zealand
All Headline News - USA
08/05/2006
Wellington, New Zealand (AHN) - A smoking ban in gambling clubs
in New Zealand has reduced the number of gamblers as the country's poker
machine revenue fell 28%.
Brian Smith, president of Clubs New Zealand, said that this ban would reduce
about $60 million a year from pub charities to various sports and other
community groups.
Smoking ban is killing our trade
Fife Today - Fife,UK
08/03/2006
LICENSEES in Fife are urging the Scottish Executive to scrap the smoking ban
amid claims some premises are heading for financial ruin.
"Obviously they have never been in a club to see what life is like as
we are feeling the bite and losing up to £2000 a month.
"The Association's annual gala-day trip to Camperdown Park in Dundee
next year has had to be cancelled because we simply cannot raise enough funds
for a bus to transport the youngsters."
"It is not just pubs and clubs that are struggling either, as the
Fraser Bowl in Glenrothes has also seen a massive downturn in revenue as
a direct result of the ban."
Council sees ban killing off smoking
ABC Online - Australia
07/30/2006
In a rare display of honesty, anti smokers admit their real
motivation behing banning smoking. It has nothing to do with workers health.
It's about using any means necessary to eliminate smoking completely.
Smoking ban causing nearly 300 to be laid off at Casino Windsor
WLNS - Lansing,MI,USA
07/18/2006
DETROIT Casino Windsor is laying off nearly 300 union workers
and immediately terminating 32 salaried employees due to declining revenues
caused by Ontario's smoking ban.
Smoking ban blamed as VLT profits dive
CBC New Brunswick - New Brunswick,Canada
07/21/2006
The lottery corportation's 2005-06 annual report shows that
money generated by VLTs fell by almost $8 million, or six per cent, from
the previous year.
ALC spokesman Robert Bourgeois said a province-wide smoking ban imposed in
October 2004 was one of the major reasons for the decline.
SMOKING BAN BACKLASH
Fife Today - Fife,UK
"We estimate that we are losing £2,000 a week because of the
ban and it can't go on like this because it is killing the pubs in the area."
N.Y., N.J. Businesses Say Smoking Ban
Evening Bulletin - Philadelphia,PA,USA
07/18/2006
In the working-class borough of Staten Island, an assistant manager of a bar
chuckled at what hardly seemed like a joking matter. A smoking ban was instituted
in the state three years ago, and the effect at Mug Shots was clear.
"[Business has] probably been cut down by half because of it," Steve
Conroy said with a chuckle.
Business owners, industry experts and economists seem to almost universally
agree that the bans in New York and in New Jersey have had significantly detrimental
effects on sales, although estimates vary as to the precise impact on business.
Experts say traditional bars and taverns - particularly ones in working-class
neighborhoods with high smoking rates - have been affected the most, while
nightclubs and restaurants have seen smaller drops in business. Some restaurants
have reported an increase in business.
"There's no question ... that the smoking bans have hurt the taverns
and the bars," said Scott Wexler, the executive director of the Empire
State Restaurant and Tavern Association.
He said a loss of about 20 percent of sales has been typical.
"People have seen gains from the floor, closing the gap in the losses.
But most of my members are still doing less business today than they were
before the ban ... About 25 percent of our member establishments closed over
the last three years."
Suspend smoking ban: bar owners
Montreal Gazette - Montreal,Quebec,Canada
07/15/2006
The 1,500 bar owners who responded to the survey reported a 30-per-cent drop
in revenues from alcohol sales, video-poker terminals, pool tables and food
since the no-smoking rules went into effect May 31, Sergakis said.
At least 478 full- and part-time jobs have been cut, he added.
"Just wait for winter - the effect will be double," he said. "People
won't want to go outside to smoke in minus 30C."
Rank Says Gaming Profit Was Hurt by Smoking Ban, Rising Costs
Bloomberg - USA
07/04/2006
Rank Group Plc, the U.K. owner of Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo clubs,
said profit at its gaming units is ``under pressure'' because of increasing
costs rise and a smoking ban in Scotland. The company said it will consider
a sale of its Hard Rock brand.
Rising costs and a 14 percent drop in sales in Scotland following the introduction
of a smoking ban is having a negative impact on earnings...
Number's up at smoke ban bingo halls
Scotsman - United Kingdom
06/28/2006
ALMOST half of Scotland's bingo halls face closure as the smoking ban takes
its toll on revenues.
Five clubs have closed already, including one in the Capital operated by Carlton
Bingo, while a further three are expected to shut in the next few weeks.
The Bingo Association today warned that between 30 and 40 bingo halls are at
risk of closure in the longer term. The warning comes just three months after
the ban came into force.
Windsor bingo halls burnt by smoking ban
Globe and Mail - Canada
06/26/2006
Nearly a month into Ontario's smoking ban, Windsor bingo hall
operators say many Michigan customers are staying home.
Business has dropped so much at some bingo parlours that owners are considering
layoffs and at least one may close its doors, according to a report Monday
in The Detroit News.
Patch purveyors stock up for smoking ban
Denver Post - Denver,CO
06/26/2006
{Many "grassroots" smoking ban campaigns are funded behind
the sceines by Big Pharma. Here's why:}
National drug companies often see a 30 percent to 50 percent
spike in retail sales of nicotine patches and gum after a smoking ban goes
into effect, said Jennifer May, a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman in Pittsburgh.
Bar owners affected by smoking ban
Tillsonburg News - Ontario, Canada
Friday June 16, 2006
The smoke has cleared and most Tillsonburg bar owners aren’t
happy.
In one form or another, nearly all reported a loss in sales since the Smoke-Free
Ontario legislation banned smoking in bars and all public places on May 31.
Dan Efstatheu, owner of Mad Trapper’s, has noticed a huge drop in business
since the ban came in place. This ranges from fewer business people coming
in for lunch and a cigarette to patronage during his Thursday night wing night.
The most significant drop was on weekends.
Jim Tsanoff, owner of the Royal Tavern, also said business has declined quite
a bit since the Smoke-Free Ontario legislation took effect on May 31.
“We have the same amount of people coming, they’re just not staying,” he
said. “They come in for one, not three or four.”
Although an initial drop in business was expected, Tsanoff isn’t sure
if it will bounce back.
Ban burns bingo halls
Detroit News, 6/26/06 - Nearly a month into Ontario's
smoking ban, Windsor's bingo halls are facing their worst fears: Michigan
smokers are staying home.
Business has dropped so much at some bingo parlors
that owners are considering layoffs and at least one is contemplating closing
its doors.
"We haven't laid anybody off yet, but we cut our
work hours in half," said Candice Lagace, a bookkeeper at Paradise Bingo
Hall. "We're all struggling. It looks like layoffs are imminent."
This month, Paradise Bingo Hall has lost $60,000,
said Lagace, daughter of Paradise's owner, Mike Duval.
On its best day this month, the 658-seat bingo parlor
-- which has been in business for 21 years -- was at about 16 percent capacity
with 106 players. On a busy night before the ban, the hall would have standing-room
only, with customers lined up against the walls.
Miklojcik, a consultant for gaming houses nationwide,
said it takes only one smoker in a car of four to suggest staying in Detroit
to gamble at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity, where smoking is
permitted.
Mayo pubs faced with meltdown
COUNTY Mayo has the third highest number of pub closures in the country over
the past two years. With 48 pubs having closed throughout 2004 and 2005, Mayo
is behind only Galway with 57 closures and Cork with 74.
The fact that people are now drinking more at home because
of the smoking ban and cheaper alcohol prices in off-licences are being blamed
on the high number of closures. In Castlebar alone, seven pubs have closed
in the recent past and only one has been re-opened.
When the figures from the Connacht counties are compiled, it
emerges that more than 10 per cent of all pubs in the five counties have
closed their doors in the last two years.
Nipped in the butt
Less than a dozen cars speckled the parking lot outside the White Elephant Bar and Grill on a recent Saturday night in this growing Seattle suburb. Inside, most booths and tables sat empty while two electronic dart boards hung unused on the side wall. A handful of customers encircled the restaurant's lone pool table, sipping beers and conversing easily at normal volume levels. Owners John and Donna Kerns leaned on the end of a deserted bar and watched helplessly as their once buzzing establishment choked to a slow death on its clean, smoke-free air.
Six months ago, that hub teemed with activity, drawing several thousand people on any given weekend. Now, business is down more than 50 percent. The Kernses, both in their 60s, have laid off employees and significantly trimmed their hours of operation.
Appleton Bars Blame Smoking Ban For Losing Money
State sales tax records for two of the three businesses show year-over-year
losses of about 30 percent in the last six months.
If you'd like to see an article added to this list, please send us the link.
