Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the online variation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or might it not compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an familiar game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
No more will enthusiasts be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with no option.