A lot has been talked in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However can the online version of this classic game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an classic game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite locations where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with little choice.