A lot has been talked in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an classic game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored locations where people like to smoke.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers know that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and still have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the net can never replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little option.