An abundance has been talked in the press recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But can the online variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an classic game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little option.