An abundance has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the internet adaptation of this classic game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an established game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
No longer will players be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little alternative.