An abundance has been talked in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However can the online version of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular locations where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.
