A lot has been reported in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the internet variation of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common locations where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online can never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.