A lot has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because 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 afloat. But can the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban across Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where folks like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t cast aside this classic game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
