A lot has been talked in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the web variation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net could never replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no option.