Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry alive. However will the online adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over Britain.
No longer will gamblers be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common areas where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net could never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.