An abundance has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the web variation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law around Britain.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo players with little alternative.