A lot has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the internet version of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an ancient game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on online could never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.