An abundance has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the businesses alive. But will the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban around Britain.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular locations where many people like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.