Smoking ban continues to hit Rank

Those who still attend Mecca bingo halls are spending less

Gaming firm Rank says it is continuing to feel the impact of the UK-wide smoking ban at its Mecca bingo halls.

Like-for-like revenue fell 14% in England and Wales during the 17 weeks to 27 April, compared with the same period a year ago.

Attendance fell by 13%, with spending per customer down by 1%.

But Rank, which also runs Grosvenor Casinos and the Blue Square online betting business, said it had been "encouraged" by its performance.

"We have achieved a degree of success in adjusting to the smoking ban and the new gaming regulations and have taken timely action to protect profits," the firm said

"Nevertheless, we are conscious that the difficult consumer climate is likely to make 2008 a challenging year for the gaming sector."

Revenue at the group overall slipped by 8%. This was cushioned by a 10% rise in business at Blue Square as the market for online betting continued to build.

The smoking ban has deterred some former customers from going to bingo halls, analysts say.

And those who have continued to attend are generally spending less, observers say, going outside to smoke between games rather than taking part in other gambling such as fruit machines.