Spain’s Smoking Ban Affects Bingo Halls
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 - Tammy F.
Shortly after the UK government enacted the smoking ban in 2007, land-based bingo halls saw a dire decrease in activity as a direct result. Since then, bingo halls have lost a great deal of business to online bingo websites and the situation seems to be repeating itself across the border in Spain.
On January 1st 2011, a ban on smoking in public spaces was imposed in Spain. Only two months have passed since the ban was enacted, but bingo halls are already showing signs of being affected by the legal development.
Spanish bingo operator Top Rank España published a report on its performance for the first two months of 2011, and it seems that the smoking ban is beginning to take its toll. Since the smoking ban was introduced on January 1st, the Spanish bingo market has seen an 18% decline in revenue, whereas UK operations have seen a 2% increase in profits. Over the course of 2011, Top Rank believes that the Spanish market will decline by an additional 10%.
Luckily, the Spanish online bingo market is growing rapidly. Spain and Latin America are two of the biggest new markets for online bingo operators, and many bingo websites are being launching to cater to them.
You must be over 18 years of age to register and to place a bet. The company reserves the right to ask for proof of age from any customer and customer accounts may be suspended until satisfactory proof of age is provided.
St Minver Limited is licensed by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority and regulated by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority under the 'Gambling Act 2005'.