A lot has been stated in the press recently about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. However does the web adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a good many bingo players with little choice.