Might the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players On to the Internet?
A lot has been talked in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the net version of this classic game present a escape, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the cigarette ban around UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.
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