A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the internet version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban around Britain.
No longer will players be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo players with no option.