Ontario Smoking Ban Kills Charity Bingo Hall

Twenty local charities are scrambling to find alternatives.

In the department of unintended consequences, the Fort Frances (Ontario) Times reports (Duane Hicks) that the local bingo hall will shut on December 31, leaving in the lurch a number of local charities that had relied on the proceeds, not to mention the twelve employees of the facility. 

The reason is the decline in attendance after Ontario introduced a province-wide smoking ban on May 31 of this year.  The hall tried to provide more smoking breaks so patrons could go outside and smoke, but attendance fell off anyway.  (It may have something to do with the location: Fort Frances is the sister city of International Fall, Minnesota and outside smoking breaks might not be all that attractive in the winter months.) 

Local charities are considering starting their own bingos, but the bigger questions remain: can there be Bingo without smoking?  Can there be charities without Bingo?

Comments

[annajennnifer]

In the USA, smokers and hospitality businesses initially argued that businesses would suffer from smoking bans. Some restaurateurs argued that smoking bans would increase the rate of dine and dashes where patrons declare they are stepping outside to smoke, while their intent is to leave. Others have countered that even if this occurred it could decrease the leisure (non-eating) time spent in the restaurants, resulting in increased turn-over of tables, which could actually benefit total sales. The experiences of Delaware, New York, California, and Florida have shown that businesses are generally not hurt, and that many hospitality businesses actually show increased revenues. According to the 2004 Zagat Survey, which polled nearly 30,000 New York City restaurant patrons, respondents said by a margin of almost 6 to 1 that they eat out more often now because of the city's smoke-free policy.A 2006 U.S. Surgeon General review of studies suggests that business may actually improve. Thus, research generally indicates that business incomes are stable (or even improved) after smoking bans are enacted, and many customers appreciate the improved air quality.
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anna jennifer
http://www.addictionlink.org/drug-rehab-center/ontario