Much has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. But will the net version of this classic game provide a salvation, or might it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an age old game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and smoke and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.