An abundance has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. However does the internet version of this traditional game provide a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the cigarette ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can play bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet will never replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.