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It has now been a year since Wales went smoke free in all public places, which of cause included their bingo halls. The verdict is now in on what the impact of the smoking ban has had on the bingo industry there.
Figures in have revealed that the smoking ban has helped people take the decision to kick the habit for good and has been a major improvement on the public’s health, plus there were fewer smoking related prosecutions than were expected by the Welsh Assembly Government. Sadly, the same cannot be said for what the impact of the smoking ban has had on the bingo industry in Wales and the UK.
“Across the whole of the UK Bingo Halls have seen a 25 per cent drop in admission over the last year” a spokesman from Top Ten Bingo in Wales confirmed. They also went on to say, “Profits had been hit. It started to fall after around 8-10 weeks and promotions that have proved successful are not quite so successful anymore. Now we’re looking at new ways of promoting the business. He also said “That many bingo halls were in old buildings where it was impossible to build smoking areas”.
It is not just bingo halls that have been affected and the other industry to bear the brunt of the Smoking ban is pubs and bars. As always there are two sides to every coin or opinion, and this is what one pub landlord from Wales had to say on the subject: It’s been bloody marvellous, and I would say 99 per cent of customers agree. The smell has gone and it makes the pub fresher. Even smokers have been saying how much better it is since the ban came in”.
Now for the other side of the coin. Dennis Newman, who is the owner of the Somerset Arms in Port Talbot, had this to say: “He’d like to see designated smoking rooms introduced. The smoking band has hit us hard. In the first few months it was all right because people could go outside. But as soon as winter came we noticed a difference. People don’t want spend money in a pub to have to sit outside and smoke”.
The smoking ban was introduced in France in January, but cafe owners were given the choice as to whether they wanted to go smoke free or not. Reading this makes you think about people rights and it does seem like the rights of all smokers have just been taken away from them, as in the UK they had no choice on this matter at all! Was this a good or bad thing to happen in the UK? Everyone will have their own personal opinion on the matter and there will always be people who are all for this and people that completely oppose this law. It does seem like most of the world will soon be smoke free in public buildings, as even in America we are seeing lots more states introducing the smoking ban now, which is also affecting their bingo halls and casinos.
What is the verdict from smoke free Wales? It really is a mixed opinion from what I can see, where there seems to be pluses and minuses from both sides of the coin!
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