A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the internet version of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing online can never replace the communal part of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.