In Sherwood Park, Alberta, Danny Hollands, who owns the building that had been used as the Sherwood Park Bingo Hall, is working on bringing bingo back to the hall. Despite some significant hurdles, Hollands thinks there’s a good chance that he can re-open the bingo club and make a go of the business.

The Strathcona Bingo Association, which used to operate the hall, is currently disbanding. The association is unable to keep 20 clubs together as required by Alberta Gaming law. The recent ban on smoking has put the entire future of bingo at risk, but Danny Hollands says that he sees the ban as a challenge. He is hoping to form a group of 20 non-profit bingo operators in order to get licensing, and he hopes that with the smoking ban, he’ll be able to attract a new type of player. Many potential players, he says, are put off by the strong odor of smoke which pervades many bingo halls. In addition, Hollands believes that since the ban is area-wide, avid bingo players will keep playing, even if they need to step out for a smoke.