A lot has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the businesses alive. However can the internet adaptation of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this established game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.