A lot has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the web version of this classic game provide a salvation, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an classic game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored locations where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People know that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.