Much has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net variation of this classic game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an classic game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law across UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite areas where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not given up on this ancient game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the internet could never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.