An abundance has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the internet variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an familiar game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around UK.
No more will players be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and cig and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.