Will the Smoking Ban in the UK Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been stated in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the internet adaptation of this classic game present a escape, or will it never compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an established game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
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