A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But can the net variation of this traditional game present a escape, or will it not compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the cigarette ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.