A lot has been stated in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the internet variation of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is on the net. People realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.