The Vienna daily Die Presse has reported that turnover from vending machine sales of cigarettes in Austria had declined by 70 per cent since 1 January, when it became mandatory for customers to use their Bancomat cards in order to purchase cigarettes.

The Vienna daily Die Presse has reported that turnover from sales of cigarettes from vending machines in Austria had declined by 70 per cent since 1 January 2007, the date on which customers had to begin to use their Bancomat cards at the machines in order to buy cigarettes.
Vienna Chamber of Commerce official Peter Ottendorfer said that the decline has been worst in Vienna. He added that sales at vending machines had completely dried up in the city's 10th district. Many customers were afraid of piracy of personal data and also found the new system too complicated to use. As a result, many were turning to cigarette smugglers. The national Chamber of Commerce, however, has a different view. Rolf Gleissner, an official in WKÖ's retail-trade division, said that people who hadn't dealt with smugglers in the past wouldn't do so in the future. An Austria Tabak spokesperson added that it was too early to draw any conclusions about the new system. Doing so after only a few days "wasn't serious."
The purpose of the new system is to help prevent adolescents from smoking. (pi)