Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the net variation of this classic game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an established game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online will never replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.