An abundance has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the online variation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.