A lot has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the internet version of this traditional game provide a salvation, or might it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little choice.