An abundance has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the web version of this classic game provide a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the anti cigarette law throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.