Much has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to help keep the industry afloat. But does the online variation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it never compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can play bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing online will never replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left many bingo players with little alternative.