A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. But will the internet adaptation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it never compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and smoke and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
