A lot has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. However does the internet variation of this classic game offer a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this age old game?
The answer is online. People realize that they can participate in bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online could never replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.