A lot has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the industry alive. But can the net variation of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common locations where folks like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is online. People realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.