A lot has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. However does the web adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had experienced a recent increase in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.