A lot has been written in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it never compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an classic game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the internet will never replace the social portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little alternative.