A lot has been talked in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the industry alive. However can the online adaptation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an enduring game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where players like to smoke.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left many bingo players with no option.