Much has been stated in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. However can the internet variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?

Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban across UK.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not cast aside this enduring game?

The answer is online. Players know that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.

Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.