Much has been talked in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the web variation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the cigarette ban across Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular locations where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left many bingo players with no option.