Much has been written in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the online variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo halls in place of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke while dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular places where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realize that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with little alternative.
