An abundance has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the businesses alive. But will the internet version of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an age old game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net can never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with little choice.