Much has been reported in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the web variation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across United Kingdom.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net will never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.