A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet variation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cig and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.