Will the Anti Smoking Law in England Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
An abundance has been written in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the net variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an ancient game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo players with little choice.
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