A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. But will the internet adaptation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored places where many people like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left many bingo players with little option.