An abundance has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However will the internet version of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban across UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored locations where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. People know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the web will never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a number of bingo players with little alternative.