A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. However can the net adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban around England and Wales.
No longer will gamblers be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on online will never replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.