A lot has been reported in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the online variation of this classic game provide a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.