Much has been written in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the web variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular locations where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.