Much has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net version of this traditional game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an established game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban across UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where folks like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can participate in bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.