Much has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net version of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti cigarette law across United Kingdom.
No more will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.