A lot has been written in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the online variation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban across United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular locations where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on online can never replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.