A lot has been written in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the industry alive. But will the web adaptation of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can participate in bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.
