Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the online variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an enduring game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
No longer will players be permitted to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
