An abundance has been stated in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the online adaptation of this traditional game present a lifeline, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the cigarette ban around UK.
No more will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no alternative.