A lot has been reported in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the industry afloat. However does the net variation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an established game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout UK.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.