A lot has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to help keep the industry afloat. However can the net version of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.