Much has been stated in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the online variation of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where many people like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and still enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with no option.