A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. However does the internet version of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an established game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is online. People know that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.