Much has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. But does the web variation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it not compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an classic game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law all over United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where many people like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cig and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the net will never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.