Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However will the net version of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with no choice.