A lot has been stated in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this traditional game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an established game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the web could never replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.