A lot has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the net version of this classic game present a escape, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over United Kingdom.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the net will never replace the social portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with little alternative.