An abundance has been talked in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online variation of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the net will never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a good many bingo players with little option.