Much has been reported in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the web variation of this traditional game present a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.
No more will gamblers be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not cast aside this age old game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on online can never replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.