Much has been stated in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But does the online version of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti smoking law across Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can play bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
