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English ]
An abundance has been stated in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the web variation of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common locations where players like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little choice.
