A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is online. People realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no alternative.