Much has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However does the internet variation of this classic game present a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite areas where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can enjoy bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.