Scotland’s smoking ban made a dent in Rank’s first half Mecca Bingo business as the gambling and leisure company reported a 2.9% fall in underlying earnings.
In the three months since the ban came into effect on 27 March, turnover at its 14 Scottish bingo clubs were down 14% and spending per head fell 9%.
Pre-tax profit was £19.9m (£32.7m) on turnover of £426m (£397.3m).
References: Financial Times 02/09/06 page 14, Daily Telegraph 02/09/06 page 29, The Times 02/09/06 page 52, The Guardian 02/09/06 page 24, The Independent 02/09/06 page 47
