Much has been written in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the online version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its land based kin?
Bingo is an classic game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the net can never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with little option.