A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the web version of this classic game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the internet will never replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.