An abundance has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry struggling because of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. But will the net version of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common locations where people like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.