Much has been stated in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the web adaptation of this traditional game present a escape, or might it in no way compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online will never replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with little alternative.