An abundance has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the web version of this quintessential game present a escape, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common areas where folks like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.