An abundance has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However does the web version of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to change with the legislating of the cigarette ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite places where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can participate in bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little choice.