Much has been talked in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. But will the online adaptation of this classic game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had witnessed a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t deserted this familiar game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.