A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. But can the web variation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enacting of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.