Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But can the net version of this traditional game provide a escape, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common locations where folks like to smoke.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and still have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the web can never replace the social aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.