Much has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hurt because of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However can the online adaptation of this traditional game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo players with no choice.
Comments