Much has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the online adaptation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an established game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over United Kingdom.
No longer will gamblers be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.