A lot has been written in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the net adaptation of this quintessential game provide a escape, or might it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban around UK.
No more will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet will never replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.