An abundance has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the internet version of this quintessential game provide a escape, or will it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban all over UK.
No more will gamblers be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is online. People realise that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the social part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with no choice.