A lot has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the web version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an classic game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the smoking ban all over Britain.
No more will players be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.
