A lot has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet version of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.