Might the Cigarette Ban in Britain Drive Bingo Players On to the Net?
A lot has been written in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to help keep the businesses afloat. But does the web adaptation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban across UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored locations where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the internet could never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo players with no choice.
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