Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the online adaptation of this classic game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its land based relative?
Bingo is an ancient game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this established game?
The answer is on the net. People know that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the rules have left many bingo players with little option.
