A lot has been reported in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the net adaptation of this classic game present a salvation, or might it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an age old game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti smoking law around UK.
No more will players be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this established game?
The answer is online. People realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the web could never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.
