Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the internet variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo has been an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti smoking law throughout United Kingdom.
No longer will gamblers be able to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little choice.