Might the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
Much has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But can the web adaptation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where players like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net can never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with no choice.
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