A lot has been written in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the online version of this quintessential game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.