A lot has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the online adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.