A lot has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the web adaptation of this classic game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban across Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online can never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.