Much has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the online variation of this traditional game provide a escape, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an classic game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law all over United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.