A lot has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. But can the online version of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its real life peer?

Bingo is an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across United Kingdom.

No more will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where many people like to smoke.

The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this established game?

The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can play bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the net can never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with no choice.