Will the Anti Smoking Law in Britain Force Bingo Players Online?
Much has been stated in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the online adaptation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent return in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where folks like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this familiar game?
The answer is online. People realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online could never replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
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