A lot has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the web version of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an classic game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout United Kingdom.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.