An abundance has been written in the papers recently about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net variation of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or might it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an enduring game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they have not given up on this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.