A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the businesses afloat. But can the online version of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around UK.
No longer will players be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite areas where many people like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the law has left a good many bingo players with no choice.