An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. But can the web variation of this traditional game offer a escape, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left many bingo players with no option.