Much has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the internet variation of this traditional game present a escape, or will it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can participate in bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the internet can never replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no choice.
