An abundance has been written in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored locations where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.