An abundance has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti cigarette law throughout Britain.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.