A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. But can the net variation of this classic game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the cigarette ban across Britain.
No longer will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common locations where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on online could never replace the collective part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little alternative.
