Much has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an classic game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban throughout Britain.
No more will gamblers be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and cig and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on online could never replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left many bingo players with no choice.