An abundance has been talked in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to help keep the industry afloat. However will the net adaptation of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an established game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where players like to smoke.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left a number of bingo players with little choice.