Might the Cigarette Ban in Britain Take Bingo Players On to the Web?
Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the internet variation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular places where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the net. People know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online can never replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo players with little choice.
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