An abundance has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the online adaptation of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over United Kingdom.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and smoke and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.