A lot has been written in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. However does the internet adaptation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti smoking law across Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo players with little alternative.