Much has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the online version of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite locations where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the web could never replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo players with little option.
