Much has been written in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the net variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an enduring game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net could never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left many bingo players with no choice.