A lot has been reported in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online adaptation of this traditional game provide a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an established game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players like to smoke.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not given up on this established game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.