An abundance has been stated in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the internet version of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the cigarette ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can bet on bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web could never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.