Much has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the net adaptation of this classic game provide a lifeline, 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 experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law all over UK.
No more will players be able to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.