A lot has been written in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet variation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti smoking law across Britain.
No longer will players be able to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can bet on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the web will never replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.