Can the Cigarette Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. However can the online variation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
No longer will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the web can never replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
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