Much has been reported in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry alive. However can the net adaptation of this classic game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the anti smoking law throughout Britain.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo players with no choice.