Much has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.