A lot has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the online version of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.