A lot has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the internet variation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an ancient game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law around Britain.
No longer will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.