Will the Anti Smoking Law in the UK Force Bingo Players Online?
An abundance has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the net adaptation of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where many people like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with little choice.