A lot has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the online version of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban around UK.
No more will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online could never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
