Much has been stated in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an established game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can participate in bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.