Much has been written in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the internet adaptation of this classic game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an classic game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law across United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.