Much has been talked in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the web version of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban all over Britain.
No longer will players be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with little alternative.