Much has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However can the internet adaptation of this traditional game present a escape, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent increase in appeal with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the net could never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.