Much has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an classic game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enacting of the anti smoking law throughout Britain.
No more will gamblers be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored places where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the law has left a good many bingo players with no choice.