A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However will the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law all over United Kingdom.
No longer will players be able to smoke while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they have not forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and smoke and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web will never replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.