An abundance has been written in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net version of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left many bingo players with no option.