A lot has been written in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an established game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban all over Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they have not cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the net can never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.