Much has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the online version of this traditional game provide a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common places where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online will never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a number of bingo players with little option.