A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the web adaptation of this traditional game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban around UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.