An abundance has been stated in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But will the internet adaptation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban across UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo players with no choice.
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