A lot has been talked in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to help keep the industry afloat. But can the web adaptation of this classic game present a escape, or might it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the web is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.