An abundance has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the web version of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net could never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with no choice.