Much has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to help keep the industry alive. However does the net adaptation of this classic game offer a escape, or might it in no way compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti cigarette law all over England and Wales.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and still have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little option.