A lot has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the online adaptation of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and still have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.