Much has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the internet version of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online can never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with little alternative.