A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet variation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the cigarette ban all over United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can participate in bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on online can never replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.