An abundance has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the online adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an age old game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.