A lot has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the web adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the anti smoking law all over Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online will never replace the social part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.