A lot has been talked in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. But can the web variation of this traditional game present a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is online. Players realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with little choice.