Much has been reported in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry afloat. However will the net version of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored places where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they have not forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Players realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy big prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left many bingo players with no option.
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