An abundance has been stated in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the net version of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not given up on this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.