Much has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the net variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an established game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.