Much has been stated in the press recently about the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the internet version of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an established game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law across United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the net. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with no option.