Much has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. However can the online version of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the net will never replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
