Might the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
Much has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over UK.
No longer will players be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.
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