Much has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the online variation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban across Britain.
No more will gamblers be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.