Much has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the online adaptation of this traditional game offer a salvation, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an age old game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
No more will players be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they have not given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Players know that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the law has left a good many bingo players with little choice.