Much has been written in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the industry alive. But will the web version of this classic game present a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cig and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left many bingo players with little option.