An abundance has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the industry afloat. However will the net version of this classic game provide a salvation, or might it never compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an classic game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t deserted this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the net can never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.