An abundance has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the web version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common locations where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left many bingo players with no option.