Bingo halls decry city smoking ban

Edmonton bingo halls and some bars say business has dropped by up to 50 per cent in the six months since the city imposed a no-smoking bylaw in all public places.

Since July 1, when the ban came into place, 19 bingo halls in the city have shut down. While some of the closures are attributed to waning interest in the game, operators say most were adversely affected by the smoking bylaw.

"Last month's pool, with the cold weather, we lost $90,000 for that month," Susan Moore, who runs Parkway Bingo, said.

Bingo operators say the payout to local charities and clubs has dropped by at least 50 per cent over the past six months, while crowds are down about 25 per cent.

Some bars are also facing a drop in revenue since July, they say.

"They've been brutal," Wally Zack, owner of the Borderline Pub, said of the past six months. "Business dropped immediately by 30 to 40 per cent, and as much as 50 per cent when it got colder."

Zack has placed an old school bus outside his bar to give smoking patrons a warm place to light up.

But Kevin Morris, who owns Squires Pub on Whyte Avenue, says his business hasn't been as affected.

"It's been OK. Less of an impact than I originally thought," he said, crediting the lure of Old Strathcona as a destination with keeping patrons coming. "The youth seem to have adapted quickly.

"The area around the university seems to have been hit the least by this new structure."