Much has been reported in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the online version of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite areas where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Of course they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the law has left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.
