Much has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding 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 big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. But can the internet version of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or might it not compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web can never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little option.