An abundance has been written in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.