A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the web adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around Britain.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.