A lot has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the web variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite locations where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the social part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.