Much has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the web version of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game recently had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realize that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with little choice.