Much has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the online version of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enacting of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can play bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.