An abundance has been stated in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite locations where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net will never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.