A lot has been stated in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the online version of this classic game offer a escape, or might it in no way compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an age old game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law across UK.
No longer will gamblers be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where many people like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the net. People realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet can never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.