Much has been reported in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the net version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban around UK.
No longer will players be able to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the collective part of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no alternative.