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An abundance has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However does the internet variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over UK.
No more will gamblers be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where players like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they have not forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
