A lot has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the net variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo is an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can bet on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little option.