Smoking ban hits Bingo night tillsSep 8 2007 by Gavin O'Connor. South Wales Echo Smokers are staying away from bingo halls in their droves. Gavin O’Connor investigates how the smoking ban is hitting the bingo hall tillsBINGO halls across South Wales are feeling the drag of a study 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. Since April when the ban came into compel in Wales the whole culture of bingo playing has changed say cater players and managers. The numerous bingo halls the emit 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 transfer have also said the same. A worker at a Castle Bingo hall who did not be to be named said: “There undergo been meetings about the displace in revenue but I’m not sure exactly how much we’re suffering by.“The cover games which take place early in the evening are fine – the problem relates to the telebingo and 25p. 50p and £1 games where most of the money is made.“Players the majority of which are smokers use these times as opportunities to nip out for a fag. The bear machines are also emptier than they’ve ever been because of this.”Kelly Davies. 23 of Merthyr Tydfil has been a member of Castle Bingo since the she was old enough to compete. The company set up in the town exactly 11 years ago this month. Kelly said when interval of the cover games takes displace at 8pm there’s a crowd exodus of smokers through the door before an 8.15pm resumption.“The ban is an absolute nuisance when you want to play,” said Kelly.“You’ll regularly get about 40 smokers outside where the fag end trays undergo been put. It’s totally changed the evening and I’ve noticed there’s definitely less populate going now.”There are believed to be three million bingo players in the UK. 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 apply it the same because it’s a different experience.“I evaluate a lot of people feel the same.”South Wales’ biggest bingo operator Castle Bingo refused to mention 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 analyse of 3,000 UK bingo players to sight out their attitudes towards the ban. The survey found internet gaming services would undergo a go with more and more smokers putting their feet up at domiciliate lighting up and clicking online. The study revealed 62 per cent of bingo players are smokers and that 33 per cent of them ordain compete less often while 21 per cent ordain forbid playing in clubs altogether. Just 14 per cent of smokers said they will kick the apparel so they can act playing with 63 per cent of smokers saying they ordain change magnitude the amount they pay playing online as a prove 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.“There is so much competition now as come up and so many things are happening in the industry.“You’ve got the bookmakers desire William forge. Mecca. Coral and the likes promoting internet gaming online with £10 and £5 sweeteners to draw more customers.“The whole betting industry’s changing.”Workingmen’s clubs are trying different methods to contend the revenue glide. John Gould steward at Cilfynydd Constitutional Club said: “The smoking ban has certainly had an effect.“In the measure bring together of weeks we undergo 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 domiciliate to check so they could smoke as come up.“For the next three months we’ve knocked the price of beer and lager down by 5p and 10p – hopefully that ordain bring some populate approve.”Pat Grabham stewardess at the Royal British Legion in Bridgend for 25 years said the end of the pass toughen spelled frostier times at the process. She said: “We’ll definitely be hit harder in the winter. I didn’t think there should’ve been a total ban but it’s here now.“So many of our customers are old people. We hold three bingo nights here and we’ve already open the weather has a big say in the turnout. Elderly populate are not going to go out in the cold for a fag.“So far we’ve been lucky because the enthrone (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.”gavin o’connor@wme co uk
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