A lot has been stated in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net variation of this classic game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
No more will players be able to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.