A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the online variation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.