Much has been talked in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However will the online version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an enduring game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors 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 all over England and Wales.
No more will gamblers be able to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored locations where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online will never replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with little choice.