Much has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet adaptation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an established game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite places where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and smoke and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.