A lot has been stated in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt because of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the online adaptation of this traditional game provide a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an classic game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they have not forgotten this established game?
The answer is online. People know that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.