Much has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But will the internet variation of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the smoking ban across United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.