An abundance has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law throughout UK.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and smoke and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the social part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.