A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an ancient game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law all over United Kingdom.
No more will players be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the internet can never replace the collective part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.