It has just been reported that three of Americas Bingo halls are now set to go smoke free within the next few days. There is a clean indoor air ordinance already put in place in America but bingo halls are exempt for this, which means their bingo industry can decide for themselves as to whether they want to go smoke free of not.

This does however vary from state to state in America and it is thought that it won’t be to long before all inside public areas will be deemed smoke free.

The Baxter Fire Department bingo, West Virginia Three Rivers Festival Bingo, and the Fairmont Knights of Columbus bingo hall in America have all decided to take the plunge and go smoke free voluntarily.

Joe Merendino is the president of the Three Rivers Festival Bingo Hall and this is what he had to say about their decision to go smoke free: “For the past five years, the festival bingo hall had both a smoking and a non-smoking section during games, but we had all the people in one big room, So the smokers were interfering with the non smokers. We will probably lose some people when we enact this, but we will pick some people up, too.” He also added “In the long run, this will benefit the operators and the people who come to the games”.

We all know that the smoking ban coupled with the doubled taxation law has affected the UK Bingo industry badly and I am sure that bingo halls in the UK would have liked to have been given the same choice of those of their counterparts in America.

France is another country for the time being that allows its cafe owners the choice as to whether they want their building to become smoke free or not.

Maybe it will turn out to be a good thing for the bingo halls that have already decided to take the plunge and go smoke free, but only time will tell on this one.

The debate on smoke free public places will no doubt still go on for a very long time all around the world.