Much has been talked in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. However can the net adaptation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law around England and Wales.
No more will gamblers be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common locations where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web could never replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little option.