An abundance has been stated in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the web adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or will it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an age old game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti smoking law across Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.