Much has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the web adaptation of this traditional game offer a salvation, or will it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo is an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.