A lot has been stated in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the online variation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not given up on this enduring game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.