An abundance has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But will the net version of this quintessential game provide a escape, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an established game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over United Kingdom.
No longer will gamblers be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not cast aside this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the web can never replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.