A lot has been stated in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. However can the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a escape, or might it in no way compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an classic game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban throughout United Kingdom.
No longer will gamblers be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and still have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little option.