A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the net version of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.