A lot has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. But will the online version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet can never replace the social part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.