Much has been stated in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an classic game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where players like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the internet will never replace the social portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.