A lot has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But can the online version of this classic game offer a escape, or might it not compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.