Much has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet adaptation of this traditional game provide a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an age old game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
