Much has been written in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. However can the web variation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.