Much has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But will the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or will it never compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over Britain.
No more will enthusiasts be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.