A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the net variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an age old game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over United Kingdom.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.