An abundance has been reported in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this traditional game offer a escape, or might it not compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo has been an classic game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had seen a recent return in popularity with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law around England and Wales.

No longer will gamblers be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where players like to smoke.

The results of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t given up on this established game?

The answer is on the net. People are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the social part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.