Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But will the net version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cig and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left many bingo players with no choice.