An abundance has been written in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban around Britain.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular places where players like to smoke.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
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