A lot has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However can the internet adaptation of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web could never replace the communal aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a number of bingo players with little option.