Much has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. However does the internet variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the web can never replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.