Much has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry alive. However can the net version of this classic game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and cig and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little option.
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