A lot has been reported in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However does the online version of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
No more will gamblers be able to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net could never replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.