Much has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. However does the web adaptation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realize that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.