An abundance has been reported in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the online adaptation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban throughout UK.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the net. People realise that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.