Might the Anti Cigarette Law in Britain Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Much has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry alive. However does the net variation of this quintessential game provide a lifeline, or will it never compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo players with no option.
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