A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the internet version of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.