A lot has been reported in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the net variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not deserted this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little choice.