An abundance has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the internet variation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little choice.