A lot has been reported in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. But can the internet variation of this traditional game present a escape, or might it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.