A lot has been talked in the press recently about the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the web variation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law across UK.
No more will players be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the net could never replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.