A lot has been stated in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But can the online variation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular locations where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet will never replace the collective portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.