A lot has been talked in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the net adaptation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law throughout UK.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the internet will never replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.