A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the net variation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it not compare to its land based kin?
Bingo is an ancient game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no option.
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