Another bingo hall is to close due to the government’s smoking ban.

New Century Bingo in Woolston, Southampton is the latest bingo hall to close despite having 4,500 members and having 1,500 regulars each week. It seems it cannot continue with people going outside to smoke or staying at home playing online bingo.

New Century Bingo follows in the footsteps of other bingo halls which have been forced to close due to the smoking ban.  Stardust Bingo in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire saw takings fall by 16 percent after the introduction of the ban.  It had to close in August with the loss of 19 jobs.  10 bingo halls have closed in Scotland since the ban was enforced there in April 2006 and Rank have closed 9 of its Mecca bingo halls across England.  It is likely more bingo halls will close due to the smoking ban.

Bingo players would travel long journeys across Southampton to go to the New Century Bingo hall which was converted from a Picture-house cinema in the 1970s.  Many elderly players would attend the bingo hall and now they feel they have lost a community centre.

Mary Allot from Thornhill said, “I’ve been coming here since it was a Picture-house in the 1970s and remember watching Bridge Over The River Kwai.”

“Then I came to play bingo and have been coming all these years, I don’t know what I will do now it is closed.

The closure is particularly emotional for 74 year-old Pam Holmes from Kanes Hill, who said she played bingo at the club with her husband before he died.

She said, “He loved coming here and I still come here because it feels like the only place I can still be with him.  Now that it’s closing I have to say goodbye to him again.”

Assistant manager Rachel Edwards was also sad that the bingo hall had to close but believed it was inevitable.  She said, “We have suffered since the smoking ban and there’s also the problem of online bingo everywhere and that has hit everyone.  It is a sad day for people in Woolston.”

Paul Redwood acting manager of New Century Bingo in Shirley added, “Unfortunately the smoking ban is affecting bingo halls around the country.  Many independent places have closed or are closing.”

Mr Redwood said that there were no plans to close the bingo hall in Shirley and it isn’t known what will happen to the historic building which hosted the New Century Bingo hall in Woolston.