Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the online version of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or will it never compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban across UK.
No longer will gamblers be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this established game?
The answer is on the web. Players realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.