[
English ]
An abundance has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But will the net adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban around United Kingdom.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite locations where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.