A lot has been reported in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But can the internet version of this quintessential game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an age old game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the cigarette ban throughout United Kingdom.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite places where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with little choice.