Much has been talked in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the online variation of this quintessential game present a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law across UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored places where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they have not deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can play bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the web can never replace the communal part of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the law has left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.