An abundance has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. But will the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the cigarette ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the net. People realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.