Much has been stated in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this classic game present a escape, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they have not deserted this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web will never replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.