Much has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net version of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an classic game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law across United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not forgotten this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.