A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the net variation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
No more will players be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.