Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little option.