Much has been written in the papers recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. But will the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an established game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti smoking law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Players are now realizing that they can participate in bingo using their computer while enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the law has left a number of bingo players with little choice.