A lot has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However will the net variation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common places where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.