A lot has been talked in the papers recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However can the internet version of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across UK.
No more will players be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
