An abundance has been written in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However can the internet variation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where folks like to smoke.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.