A lot has been talked in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the internet adaptation of this classic game present a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an age old game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. People realise that they can participate in bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online could never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.