A lot has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to help keep the businesses alive. However will the online variation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti smoking law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at big 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 net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.