An abundance has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net variation of this quintessential game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
No more will players be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.