Much has been written in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net adaptation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet will never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.