A lot has been written in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. But does the online variation of this traditional game offer a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout United Kingdom.
No longer will players be able to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite areas where players like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the social aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no choice.