A lot has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo is an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
No more will players be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the collective part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.