A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the net version of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with little option.