An abundance has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an ancient game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the smoking ban throughout UK.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can play bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo players with no alternative.