An abundance has been reported in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But can the online version of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective part of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.