Might the Anti Smoking Law in Britain Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
An abundance has been written in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However can the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an age old game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the net will never replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left many bingo players with no alternative.
No comments yet.